Puzzle Pieces
by serena.jones.585
Summary: Chapter 0, Piece 0: Preface "That? Oh, it's a puzzle, but the box is missing, so I'm not sure what the picture is." "Couldn't someone just put together and see?" "I suppose they could, but how? You'd pull out a handful of pieces, but you wouldn't know if they were sky or water or anything. There'd be no way to see how they relate. And you'd never know if a piece was missing."
1. Piece 36

Chapter 1, Piece 36 * * * * * * * *

"Did you know, Anzu, that there is a scientific explanation for 'love at first sight'?" he asked.

"Really? I didn't even know there was a scientific explanation for love!" She sipped her wine.

"There isn't. 'Love at first sight', however, is the colloquial description of an actual neurological event. It is how we describe the moment when we physically see someone who perfectly matches our mental image of our desired partner."

"No," she laughed. "Because I see hot guys every day and I've never fallen in love at first sight."

"Ah, but it's not as simple as mere physical attraction. Consider all of the details that make up your ideal partner – not just the conscious ones, but the unconscious and subconscious ones as well. Physical appearance is the most obvious attribute, but not by any means the only one. For instance, let's say your father read you to sleep each night; your subconscious may find men with a voice similar to your father's attractive. But that man also must love books and children to meet your 'ideal'. Therefore, a man you find 'hot' must also have the right voice and be reading to a child in order to trigger 'love at first sight'."

"No wonder it's so rare!" She took another sip. "So why did you think of that?"

"Because I just saw the man who will be the father of my children."

Anzu coughed harshly, causing the party guests near them to glance in her direction. When she'd finally cleared her throat, she looked at her companion. "I'm sorry, Seto; you saw what?"


	2. Piece 15

Chapter 2, Piece 15 * * * * * * * *

The party bus was full, and Mokuba couldn't think of a better Coming of Age celebration. Twenty of his closest friends had just left the airport in Denver and were on their way to a week of casinos and skiing in the Colorado mountains. The music was cranked up, the alcohol was flowing, and even his older brother, Seto, seemed to be enjoying himself for once. When they returned to Japan, Mokuba would have to take on the roles of Vice President and Responsible Adult.

But today, he could relax and enjoy the benefits of being legal, single and rich.

He felt the bus swerve, and wondered what traffic looked like.

When Mokuba opened his eyes again, it was as men dressed in hard hats and rescue gear were pulling him out of the wreckage. He could never quite remember what happened, but he was told that an animal had darted onto the roadway. On the narrow mountain road, the driver had no choice but to hit the poor thing, but the impact had caused the bus to swerve and, on a hairpin curve, tumble over the embankment.

Everyone sustained some injuries, but Seto's had been the worst. A head injury, major brain trauma. The medical costs, even with insurance, had been astronomical. Seto received several surgeries. He was in a medical coma for a week.

And then a natural coma for six months.

Mokuba assumed control of KaibaCorp, moving the corporate offices to Colorado, rather than leaving or moving his brother. Mokuba stopped by the hospital every evening to update Seto about the day-to-day functions of the company. Some of their co-workers and friends from home visited too. Employees of KaibaCorp were encouraged to visit their CEO when they were on vacation and a fund for accident victims without Kaiba resources was created in Seto's name.

It was just luck that Mokuba and Yugi were sitting at Seto's bedside when he woke.

The machines in the room began beeping and flashing, but Seto merely opened his eyes as if waking from a particularly deep sleep.

"Seto? Ohmygod!" Mokuba grabbed his brother's hand. "Nii-sama?"

Seto looked at Mokuba, apparent confusion creasing his brow. "Oji-san?"

"Oji...?" Mokuba sat on the bed and moved his face closer. "Nii-sama, it's me! It's Mokie-kun."

Seto's confusion seemed to deepen. "That's stupid. Where's Papa?"

"What?" Mokuba mentally moved to full on panic.

"That's not right, is it?" Yugi asked, standing.

Mokuba shook his head. "Seto, how old am I?"

The man shifted and his expression closed. "39."

"I'm - wait, how old?"

"Mokie is 5, so you have to be kaa-san's older brother. That means you're two years older than kaa-san would be if she hadn't died."

Yugi left the room at a flat run to find a doctor.


	3. Piece 01

Chapter 3, Piece 1 * * * * * * * *

The bus was a flurry of excited students. The trip had been long, but now that the inn was in sight, everyone was anticipating the three days and two nights of fun.

Nearly everyone.

Alone in the last row of seats, Kaiba Seto spoke softly into his Bluetooth and tapped his laptop. He had hoped for an actual vacation during the class trip, school being one of the very few excuses he could use to avoid KaibaCorp issues. But half an hour into the trip, he'd received an email, and then a phone call, and then the rest of the journey had passed without notice. Yugi, Honda, Otogi and Bakura passed their time playing video games, dueling, and planning their sightseeing stops.

Jounouchi slept; something he seemed never to do enough of.

"Okay you people!" The guidance counselor stood up at the front of the bus. "Sit down and quiet down. Now that we are here I've got your room assignments." The group settled down. "Let's see: Ashimo and Koramato."

"But I wanted to be with Rie-chan; I'm going to braid her hair tonight."

The guidance counselor rolled his eyes. "Fine." He erased something on his list. "Akio and -"

"Can I be with Hashigu?"

The teacher looked at him. "Okay, tell you what. When I call your name, you tell me your roommate." He went down his list.

Neither Jounouchi nor Kaiba answered when called, so he assigned them to the same room and continued with the list.


	4. Piece 21

Chapter 4, Piece 21 * * * * * * * *

"I need to ask you something."

Mokuba didn't look away from his computer screen, but he rarely did when he was working. "Something easy or something hard?"

"Easy." I hoped it was easy. I hoped this wasn't yet another question for which my brother had no answer.

"Easy. Go for it."

"Am I a virgin?"

Mokuba stopped typing. He didn't turn around, however.

"I should think that would be easy," I said, hoping that I'd just embarrassed him. "There are only three possible answers: yes, no, or you don't know. Do you know?"

He sighed heavily. I was getting very annoyed that so many of my questions were greeted with a weighty sigh. I was extremely annoyed that the answers frequently justified the reaction.

"Yeah." He tapped a few keys, turned off the computer, and faced me. "Yeah, I know. You didn't know I knew, and you tried hard to keep me from knowing." He swallowed hard. "But what happened - the night you...the night it happened... You didn't know I was in the next room."

"How would I have not -"

"You were told I wasn't home." He was struggling to look me in the eyes. "He told you he'd sent me away."

Suddenly, I didn't want to hear the rest.

I can't run from this, I reminded myself. Good, bad, or indifferent, my past was part of me. Information that I didn't know could be used against me. I can't allow liabilities like that - regardless of how much I want it to stay forgotten.

"Who else knows what happened?" I asked, hoping to spare my brother.

He shook his head. "No one. I didn't really know at the time; I figured it out later. When I was older. I knew you were being hurt. But I didn't know what I should do. And later, when I asked if you were okay, you told me you'd fallen off the jungle gym. I knew you were lying, but I couldn't call you on it because I thought I would be in trouble if you knew I was home."

"I would never have blamed you. You should not have been subjected to even hearing such a thing."

Mokuba took a deep breath, then sat up straight. "He said we were playing a game and that if I came out or made any noise that I would ruin it for you. He said I was too small to play but I was growing fast so I could join in soon." My brother's voice was flat, as if he was used to saying horrific things without emotions. "A few minutes later I heard you enter the room next door. I think he undressed you and it must have tickled; that was the last time I heard you giggle. I didn't know what I was hearing; most of the instructions he gave you didn't make sense to me. But I understood clearly when you said it hurt. When you told him to stop. He said it only hurt at the beginning, that you would like the way it felt at the end. He said to stop being a baby and grow up. You didn't say anything after that."

We were both silent. Anyone else would be sobbing, but my brother was stronger than that. How cruel. How evil. And I was just as bad - I let him grow up with that memory in a house with that man.

I nodded. "So Gozaburo -"

"Gozaburo? No. Probably the only abuse he wasn't guilty of. He never touched either of us sexually. No, it was one of our uncles. I'm not sure which - when the money started to run out, we got shipped around pretty often."

"He was blond?"

"No." Mokuba frowned. "From what I remember, all our family have dark hair."

I searched my fractured memory. "I have this image in my mind of a blond man, kissing me. I didn't seem to have a boyfriend, so I am now thinking maybe it was a one-night-stand."

"You? No. Not that you ever told me. You never dated much, as far as I could tell. But you did go out about once a month with women the Board set you up with. They wanted you married and breeding. You were always home before my bedtime."

"Did they not know I'm gay?"

"Probably didn't. I picked up on it because you noticed the same guys I noticed. The Board probably didn't care. If anything, they probably figured you could have the wife in public, and do what you wanted in private. You never discussed it with me, but you seemed to go out with the girls mostly because it gave you an excuse to write off an expensive dinner."

"How shallow. Are you sure I didn't have a lover? The image is too real."

"If you did, you never told me. If Roland or Sato were helping you hide a lover, I'd think they would have mentioned it by now."

"Agreed." I sighed. "So, do you know if I ever had a positive sexual encounter?"

"Nii-sama, I never even saw you drink more than a glass of wine until my birthday." Mokuba's head and shoulders slumped. "You were the perfect brother. Sex, drugs, alcohol? You kept all of that away from me. You gave up your whole life for me."

I lifted his face. "And I would do it again in a heartbeat. You are the most precious thing I have."

He put his arms around me and held me tight. "I'm sorry, Nii-sama. I wish -"

"There is nothing to wish for." I embraced him, feeling like the elder brother for once. "We're together. Everything else is irrelevant."


	5. Piece 37

Chapter 5, Piece 37 * * * * * * * *

"I'm serious!" Seto looked at the crowd of guests. "I have absolutely fallen in love. Damn it, woman, he's gone! You distracted me. If I lose him, I will never forgive you."

"Where is he?" Anzu began scanning the room.

"Which part of 'he's gone' confused you?"

"Snippy, snippy! Fine, what does he look like?"

"Like a God. Like sunlight after a storm. Cool, aloof. Clearly noble born and bred. But not pretentious - he spoke to the staff and they responded well."

"Seto, everyone in here is pretentious - including the staff! How about tall, short, green hair, big nose... Y'know - useful details?"

"Tall, blonde."

"Natural, dyed, or could you tell?"

"Natural, of course!"

"There, by the bar."

"Where?" Seto looked where she pointed. "Him? Get your eyes checked. Not only is that badly dyed, but the man is clearly stupid, and he's going fat."

"You can see he's stupid from here. Seriously?"

"I can see he works for von Schroeder. Besides, he's drinking. My future husband ordered fruit juice."

"Okay. Tall, blonde, sober. Alone or with a group?"

"Not sure." Seto thought for a moment. "He was leaning near the Renoir when I first saw him. The only original in the room, but he has the cultured eye to find it."

"You're reading a lot into that." Anzu tried not to chuckle. When Seto got an idea, there was no dislodging it. "Young, old?"

"Around our age, I think. But it hardly matters. Age is a state of mind. He understands that, too."

"How could you possibly know that?"

"He's wearing a T-shirt and athletic shoes with his jacket and dress pants. He acknowledged that this event requires some decorum, but he isn't tied to social norms."

"Or he can't afford a suit and tie."

"On our guest list? Please. The jacket is tailored. It's probably Armani. He looks like an Armani model." Seto's eyes lit up. "Ah! There. By the fountain. With Mutou and the others from his company. I still don't remember any of them. I almost feel bad about that."

"Don't." Anzu did chuckle. "The only reason any of us are talking to you now is because you don't remember what a douche you were in high school." She looked at the group around Yugi. "Still not seeing him."

"Are you blind? He's the only thing worth seeing! There; he just put his arms around the one with the hair fin and dice-boy."

Anzu looked at Seto. "You remember Otogi?"

"Who?"

"'Dice-boy.' Otogi. Otogi Ryuji." Seto shrugged and she huffed. "The heir to Black Clown?"

"Oh. Him. Well, of course I know _of _him. Wait, you're saying that I know him?"

"Oh, yeah. That particular nickname is one of many reasons he was against the contract with you in the first place."

"I see." Seto sounded thoughtful. "The name just came to me; I don't know why."

Anzu looked back at the group. "And anyway, the only blonde over there is Jou."

"Don't lump my beloved into some stereotyped Average Joe. How do you even know he's American?" Seto looked him over again. "Although that would explain the shoes."

"How can you know 'dice boy' and not remember Jounouchi? You gave Katsuya hell." Anzu glanced at Seto and did a double take. He was staring at her with the undisguised awe of a child who'd learned his parents had Santa's home phone number. "What?"

"You _know_ him?"

"Seto, do you even listen to me?"

He smirked. "Occasionally. More often if you introduce me. Reintroduce me."

"Almost everyone working with Yugi was in our high school class. They all halfway hate you - but only because you treated everyone like dirt."

"High school is irrelevant."

"Because you don't remember it!" Memory or not, he was a natural born ass. "Why do you think I didn't want the job as your assistant?"

"But you changed your mind," he pointed out. "As did Mutou. And I am sure Katsuya will as well."

He tried to pull her, but Anzu stayed put. "Not Jou. Honestly, I'm surprised he's even here. Jou hated you. You hated Jou."

"Not possible. I could never have looked at that face and been anything but enslaved by it."

"You called him 'worthless'."

"I was obviously teasing him."

She gave him an incredulous look. "You called him a 'stupid dog' so often, some of the parents thought it was actually his name."

Seto considered that. 'Dog' was not an insult to be borne lightly. "I'll apologize." He dismissed with a shrug. "I must have been too shy to express my true feelings."

"Shy? You? OMG. I can't believe you even said that." She shook her head. "Kaiba Seto, trust me. You are not in love with Jou. Go ask Mokuba; he'll tell you."

"I will do that." Seto handed her his empty glass. "And as my dear brother is speaking to Mutou and friends, now would be the perfect opportunity." He hurried toward the group.

But as he approached, the beautiful man was alerted. And Anzu must have been at least partially correct, because Jounouchi handed his unfinished drink to fin head and slipped into the crowd.


	6. Piece 35

Chapter 6, Piece 35 * * * * * * * *

"It's one party, one night, and that's it."

"Don't care."

"You don't have to speak to him; you probably won't even see him!"

"Don't care; I ain't going!"

"You have to, Jou; the deal falls apart if you don't go."

"Not my problem."

Yugi fell back on the bed. The notarized contract stating that KaibaCorp would hold a one percent stake in the manga, and no management or editorial rights in operations was enough to win over the rest of the team. Kaiba agreed to sign the contract and wire the funds if the whole staff returned to Japan for a KaibaCorp launch party.

"We are launching me," Seto had laughed. "And I want to bring something new."

KaibaManga. Seto had gotten into comic books and manga while in Colorado. He'd seen Mokuba's copy of Half Hearted, and had become a diehard fan of '_The Tong_' and especially the story's Chinese-American lead character. He wanted to meet the Mangaka - Jounouchi Katsuya.

"I'll pay for the next twelve issues. In return, you supply copies to Kaiba retail outlets, and bring the artist to my party."

Getting the artist on the plane had been comparatively easy - that had just required the US Department of State and the Japanese Embassy to work together! But even though Jou had agreed to go on the trip, he was refusing to attend the all important gathering.

"I'm here to see my mom, Serenity, and your grandpa. That's it." Jou turned on the TV and sat down. "Moneybags wants to see me, he's gonna need binoculars."

Yugi sat up, looked at his friend, and weighed his promise versus Jou's feelings. "Katsuya, we've been friends for a long time. And I know you don't want to talk to him - don't even want to see him. But believe me, Seto's not like that anymore. The accident changed him."

"Well, unless it changed him into not-Kaiba, it doesn't matter."

"Katsuya, we're broke."

Jou gave him a curious look and turned off the TV. "Who's broke?"

"Half Hearted. We - Otogi and me - we got a loan for the last six issues and we've been kind of scraping by up to now. But we missed the last loan payment, and we can't pay the office rent." Yugi sighed heavily. "The distributors pay us on delivery which means that we'll have money for everything, once we deliver issue #19. But we can't pay the printer's deposit until we collect from the distributors. I mean, maybe we just don't have an audience and the whole thing's just a failure. But, this - this gift from Kaiba -"

"So why does it gotta be me? Tell him it's Eric's series."

"He wants to meet you. He doesn't know it's you."

"My name's right there."

"He doesn't know it's 'you' you. Names don't mean anything since the accident. I promised I wouldn't tell anyone, but, Katsuya, he's really messed up. I mean, not like he can't feed himself or like that, but he doesn't remember a lot. I mean, he had to redo high school! He didn't know me or -"

"Alright." Jou hung his head. "I get it. His head's jacked up, and he wants to meet people. You said he promised to give you the money while we're there?"

"Yeah, An- uh, his new assistant isn't a notary yet, and he wants everything documented so that if his memory plays tricks on him again, he can't go back on his word."

"Okay. I'll go. I'll stay until he signs the damn contract. But if he says so much as two words to me before then, I'm out." Jou stood up. "And I am not dressing up for this stupid thing."


	7. Piece 02

Chapter 7, Piece 2 * * * * * * * *

As his classmates went to their rooms, Kaiba went to the inn's front desk. "I need a fax machine or an internet landline."

Jounouchi got the key for his room, dropped his bag, and joined his friends. Together they explored the local beach and boardwalk. Jou lagged back. Honda and Otogi were trying not to get caught holding hands; the others were making a point of not catching them.

Bakura looked at the couple fondly, but Yugi's eyes still seemed sad.

"How you doing, dude?" Jou asked when they had a quiet moment.

"Good!" Yugi said brightly. "Tomorrow, let's do the aquarium."

"You are the world's best duelist, and the world's worst liar."

"Half of my soul is buried under a collapsed temple in Egypt. Considering that every morning I resist slitting my throat to be with him, I'm doing great."

Not what Jou was expecting. "Yug...I...I don't -"

"No one knows what to say, Katsuya." Yugi smiled quietly. "But you care enough to try to say something. That's what keeps me going. Friends. Grandpa. The hope that I might get laid before I die."

"You'll get that," Jou smiled.

"I'm available," Bakura said, surprising them both.

"DUDE!" Jou smacked the white-haired boy's shoulder. "Don't sneak up on people like that!"

"Yeah!" Yugi laughed. "And don't make offers to desperate, horny teenage guys."

"Speaking of horny, RyuHiro are about to explode. We should get them behind closed doors."

"And it's almost dinner time anyway." Jou looked at his watch. "We should head back."

"And we'll do the aquarium tomorrow for sure." Yugi stretched and led the way. "I can probably manage tomorrow."


	8. Piece 17

Chapter 8, Piece 17 * * * * * * * *

"You look like Kaa-san," I said.

I was sitting on Mokie's bed, watching my brother - my grown up baby brother - dress for another corporate dinner.

"Do I?" He looked at me in his mirror. "I've never seen her."

I frowned. Sometimes, Mokie said things that scared me, and memories of Kaa-san and Papa were the worst. "Of course you have. We have billions of pictures of her. Somewhere."

He sighed. "Look, Seto, I'm sorry, but they took everything. Okay? We have no pictures, no funeral tablets, no nothing. I told you. Our family stole everything. OKAY?! EVERYTHING!" He calmed himself. "Sorry. It still bugs me. Used to bug the fu- uh - heck out of you, too." He turned to face me. "And we tried. After our adopted father died, we tried to find our biological family. Gozaburo had any and all records destroyed." He sighed again. "So no, I have no memory of what our mother looked like. The only thing I remember about our father is that he looked like you."

I nodded; he did. The image I saw in the mirror could have been Papa's, only younger. Younger than I ever saw him except in pictures. Older than he ever saw me.

"Hey," I said, hoping to change his mood, "sit for a sec."

"No, I better head out before I'm late."

"Mokuba. Sit." I was still the older brother and Mokie sat.

"Yes, Nii-sama," he chuckled.

I slipped between him and the mirror, and picked up his comb. They even had the same hair length. I remember styling Mokie's like kaa-san's when we played. For me, it was last month. For him, it was fifteen years ago. I tried not to think about that too much.

When I finished his hair, I said, "okay, close your eyes until I say."

"Yes, Nii-sama." He dutifully closed them.

Quickly, I combed my hair to the side. I moved behind him and put my cheek next to his. In the mirror, it looked like the picture of Kaa-san and Papa from when they were dating, the one Papa kept in his wallet.

"Okay," I said. "Open them. That's what our parents looked like."

He stared at the mirror for a full minute before his lips began to tremble. He pulled me around and hugged me hard. "Thank you, Nii-sama," he whispered. "Thank you."


	9. Piece 38

Chapter 9, Piece 38 * * * * * * * *

"Mutou-kun, good to see you," Seto interrupted the group, and bowed slightly to the shorter duelist. "How long will you be in town? Long enough for dinner?"

"Seto, you could at least say 'excuse me'," Mokuba admonished. "What did we say about manners?"

"That proper people have them, and I never did," Seto replied glibly. "I presume that this is your team, Mutou-kun? Please introduce us."

"Well, uh -" Yugi stopped when he saw the group's expressions.

Honda's mouth was open, as if he'd started to speak but didn't know what to say. Otogi looked confused. Ryou's eyes were wide.

"How bad was that accident?" the white haired man gasped.

"Very bad," Anzu commented from behind them.

"I told you he'd changed," Yugi grinned sheepishly. "I promised I wouldn't say how. Kaiba-san, these are our friends from high school - Honda Hiro-"

"I want to meet the blonde one. Jou. He's like a light in a world of darkness. Introduce me to him."

"Not if he sees you coming first," Otogi smirked.

"No introduction necessary," Honda agreed. "You don't need to meet me, either."

"Honda Hiroto," Seto said. "Senior Editor for Half-Hearted Mangazine, attributed with being the primary reason the publication has never missed a deadline."

Honda almost dropped his drink. "Who told you that?"

"Mutou-kun told me some things, Anzu told me a few others."

"Mutou '_kun_'?" Honda repeated.

Seto shrugged. "He's been very supportive of my brother during my recovery and he seems to be distressed by 'Mutou-nii'."

"Oh my God, he's possessed!" Otogi snarked. "Who are you and what have you done with Kaiba?" He finished one glass of wine and snagged another from a passing waiter. "And how do we make it permanent?"

Seto looked at Mokuba. "Is he on the 'have to' list?"

Mokuba winced. "Nii-sama, he's our guest. Just be polite. We'll discuss it later."

"What's the 'have to' list?" Otogi asked. "If it's indecent or immoral, I'm on it."

"It's the list of people I have to be nice to." Seto pursed his lips thoughtfully. "I don't care if you're on it. I don't think I like you."

"Seto," Anzu warned. "TPO. You said you'd act like an adult tonight."

"Irrelevant. I only came over here to find out more about my new boyfriend."

"He's not your boyfriend," Anzu pointed out as Yugi choked and Mokuba exclaimed, "your WHAT?"

"Jou. He's going to be my boyfriend."

"Did he actually say that?" Honda asked.

"No. But I'm sure he loves me as much as I love him, so I'm sure he won't be distracted by any past misunderstandings."

"Anzu...?" Mokuba gave the woman an arched look.

"Don't look at me. He saw Jou across the room and said it was love at first sight."


	10. Piece 29

Chapter 10, Piece 29 * * * * * * * *

"What are these?" Seto began flipping through a box of notebooks. "Is this my old school work?"

Mokuba looked up from the box he was searching. "Focus up, Seto! If you keep getting sidetracked, we'll never get through this. Dueling. We are looking for your original dueling stuff." He tilted his head and read the cover of the book. "Art 101. Yeah, must be yours. I took Art History. You can come back after dinner and look at whatever you want. Right now, we are concentrating on dueling skills."

"Wow, I must have gotten good. I wonder why there's no art supplies in my office. It's all, like, drafting stuff and schematics. These are cool."

"Put it away, Nii-sama." Mokuba switched boxes. The longer he dealt with Seto-the-teen, the less of a priority fatherhood became. "You duel like a beginner; I should not be beating you like this. You literally wrote the book on duel strategy."

"So why don't I just read my book?" Seto was still flipping through the sketch pad.

"Because a) you _are_ going to read your book, and b)," Mokuba moved to the next box. "Ah! That's what I'm talkin' 'bout!" He lifted up a binder. "And b) you had enough material left over to write a series of strategy books. Your next assignment is to write a book on Duel Monsters strategies."

"Hmh," Seto grunted. "Whatev- whoa!" He stared at the sketch pad. "That is AWESOME!" He turned it and showed his brother. "Check this out!"

Mokuba sighed even as he chuckled, but his mirth stopped as he looked at the picture. "Seto... You never... I mean, you never showed me..." He flipped a couple pages. "When did you -? Right, sorry, stupid question." He studied the drawings. "These are amazing. Do you think you can do it again?"

Seto thought for a moment then shrugged.

"Okay. New plan for the day. You never did anything in a vacuum. If you did those, then there are preliminary sketches somewhere. And plans for using them."

"Plans?"

"Blue-eyes-white and Red-eyes-black are Legendary Dragons. They originated in the ancient Egyptian version of the game. But the blue and the red dragons are new. So either you found something in all that Egyptology research, or you were designing something new."

"There was Egyptology stuff in one of the boxes by the door!" Seto grabbed his new target and began rifling through it.

"I'll call Sato, see if she can find any notes on Black-eyes-blue or White-eyes-red."


	11. Piece 03

Chapter 11, Piece 3 * * * * * * * *

At the inn, Seto finished working while his classmates were out. He contented himself with an early meal, a bottle of - privately purchased - sake, and a soak in the inn's hot spring. It wasn't the finest spring, but it didn't need to be. It was quiet. That was enough.

When Seto woke, he was still alone. He chided himself for falling asleep in so precarious a location and made it back to his room.

Jounouchi was sketching.

Seto watched him from the doorway.

Blonde. It looked soft. It went well with his soft, warm brown eyes. With headphones and deep concentration, the boy was oblivious to Seto's presence.

The executive smirked. Opportunity was an amazing thing. Through all that had happened - saving the world, rescuing a pharaoh, protecting his company from villains - Seto had not had an opportunity to speak to Jou. Had not had time since their last, rather harsh conversation about the nature of friends to discuss the subject. To clear away misunderstandings.

To confess hidden feelings.

But here, now, Seto had a private room and two nights to see if underneath the name calling and the anger Jounouchi hid the same heart pounding and passion.

Seto took a step into the room.

And found his head spinning.

"DUDE!" Jou was suddenly beside him. "How much of that did you drink?"

"What? Oh - this? A glass or two. No, I fell asleep in the spring. I must still be dizzy from the heat."

Jou snickered. "You are human. We were beginning to wonder. Can you stand?"

He smelled like apples, Seto noticed. "No." He found himself smiling. "I don't think I can."


	12. Piece 33

Chapter 12, Piece 33 * * * * * * * *

There was a round of applause as the Board of Directors stood and Seto entered.

"Thank you, but that's really not necessary." He waved them back to their seats. "Before we get started, I would like to thank my brother and his staff for taking over as I recovered." He gestured to Mokuba and his assistant, a tall man named Tamora who looked more like a bodyguard than an administrator.

"Like I had a choice!" Mokuba scoffed, but he was grinning. "Besides, you always said I couldn't handle it, and I did - so you were wrong, for once."

"What better way to motivate you to succeed, than to tell you you'll fail? You succeeded merely to defy me, and thus I got what I actually wanted." Seto grinned as well. "So I win."

There were chuckles around the room.

"Sir, we should proceed," Roland reminded him quietly.

"We will." Seto nodded. "First, while I'm sure the Board remember you and Sato," he paused to see that they did. "They have not met my new personal assistant. This is Mazaki Anzu-san."

"Please take care of me." She bowed formally.

"She will be managing my social schedule - and now that Mokuba will be retaining half of the corporate operations, I will definitely have a social schedule."

"We always thought you should," a man mid-way down the table said. The Accountant; Seto hadn't been interested in who these people were, only in what they did. "A young man like yourself should be starting a family. My granddaughter speaks fondly of the evening she spent with you."

"I'm glad you brought that up. Mazaki, the box."

Quickly, she left and returned with a box of folders.

"Thank you. These, Sato tells me, are the photos of the young ladies recommended to me. Mazaki and I have reviewed them, and I have found each and every one of them to be a lovely, well bred, properly educated Japanese woman of the highest order. Mokuba, have you seen these? Would you like to look them over?"

"Uh, no?" Mokuba seemed somewhat amused. "I'm good."

"Very well." Seto extended his hand. "Mazaki?"

She hesitated, then narrowed her eyes at him. "What are you planning?"

"Trust me."

"Fat chance of that!" She muttered, but she handed him the lighter he asked her to hold on their way to the meeting.

"And I need... Ah!" He picked up a copy of the agenda and rolled it into a tube. "This will do." He ignited the agenda, then dropped the burning paper on the photos. "Step back, Sato, Mazaki. This should be -"

There was a loud crack, and flames suddenly shot out of the box.

Most of the Board dove for cover. Tamora had a weapon drawn in one hand and was holding Mokuba back with the other. Mokuba could be held one-handed because he was laughing so hard he could not stand straight.

"Perhaps a bit less nitrate next time," Seto mused as Roland used the fire extinguisher.

"That may not have been the best way -" Sato began calmly.

She was cut off by Mazaki actually hitting Seto's shoulder. "Are you a psycho!?"

"I believe I made my point clear." Seto looked at the Board members, picking themselves up. "Have I?"

"Quite clear, Kaiba-sama," said the Attorney, fixing his tie. "You are displeased with the finest women of your generation."

"I am displeased with women. Send me your grandsons if you wish a marital alliance."

"Oh, I've been waiting _years_ for you to do something like that!" Mokuba chortled as he took his seat again. "Tamora, call security. _Please_ tell me they got that on digital."

"It's not funny, Mokuba-kun!" Mazaki snapped. "Someone could have been hurt.

Mokuba ignored her. "Best. Meeting. _Ever_!"

"Now that we have that resolved, we can move on to new business. I'd like to give Mazaki a full tour of the corporation. She needs to learn who we are and what we do."


	13. Piece 39

Chapter 13, Piece 39 * * * * * * * *

"You really don't remember anything?" Otogi said dubiously. "Nothing?"

"Nothing from after roughly seventeen years ago or so. After the accident, my memory effectively resets."

"Pegasus?" Otogi prodded.

"Owns Industrial Illusions. They make Duel Monsters cards and other gaming things."

"And?"

"And what?"

"And he tried to kill you. Or take over your company. You acted like it was the same thing," Honda pointed out. "He kidnapped Mokuba."

Seto looked at his brother, horrified. "Is that true?"

Mokuba sighed heavily. "You fixed it. Everything's fine now."

"What do you mean, 'I fixed it'? How do I fix someone attacking you and they are still alive after?" He gestured to the buffet. "Him, right? Why is he even here?"

"Because he's a business partner, Seto. This reception is for KaibaCorp partners, so that you can meet them informally." Mokuba sounded like his patience was near its breaking point. "If you're going to act like a child again, I will treat you like one. Roland can take you home."

Seto glared at his brother, but seemed to consider what he wanted to say next carefully.

Abruptly, he turned and faced Otogi. "I understand that you handle marketing for Half-Hearted. Have you run into many difficulties selling manga to an American audience?"

Otogi opened his mouth slowly. "Okay. That was bizarre."

"What was?" Seto asked.

"Seeing you back down from a fight."

Seto shrugged. "There are no fights between my brother and myself. He has reminded me that I have greater goals this evening. I made a decision to use Pegasus. I don't know when or why I made that decision, but I know I considered the risks at the time. I trust myself enough to believe my original assessments were correct."

"Your original assessment," Bakura spoke softly, but firmly, "was that we were not worthy of your attention - despite the experiences we've shared. Why are you re-considering that?"

"I don't know what we shared." Seto frowned. "No one will tell me and I don't have any clear records of my own. Anzu mentioned that we went to Egypt, and I have a lot of research about the 3rd Dynasty, but... None of it makes sense. It's like I didn't write down half the information because it was so ubiquitous. Except almost nothing is known about Atemu or Setemu!"

Yugi gasped. "You have research? About Yami?"

"Yami?" Seto thought for a moment. "No. Atemu and Setemu were both early 3rd Dynasty Pharaohs. I don't think there's anything -"

"Yami is Atemu!" Yugi cut in. "But whatever you have, may I see it? Please?"

"Of course, Mutou-kun. Anytime you like. I'll make copies of everything, if you want them. Actually, you look a bit like him."

"Herr Kaiba!" A hand grabbed Seto's shoulder, cutting into the conversation. "Herr Mutou! It has been too long, ja?"


	14. Piece 16

To Angiembabe: Thanks for your support. Comments and reviews mean so much to write. I, for one, try to address every comment, and fix any error brought to my attention. According to the Yugioh wiki, Atem was born in either 1000BC or 3000BC. 1000 was during the reign of Amenemope in the 21st Dynasty. The 18th Dynasty is 1549 to 1292, the time of Tutankhamum, Hatshepsut, and Nefertiti. The year 3000 was before the 1st Dynasty and there were no pharaoh's yet. With these historic facts in mind, I looked at where the Yugioh story could fit if I treated it as fact not fiction. The nice thing about the earliest periods is that much less is known and there are hundreds of years will no named ruler. It's easy to slip in a few fictional guys and keep history intact. Because the later periods have very well documented Kings, Queens, and conquerers, and because I don't see Atem as a retelling of Tutankhamum, I took some liberty with the date, and set Atem's birth some time between 2686 and 2613, 3rd Dynasty. I'm off by about 400 years, but who's counting? I know this is only mentioned once in the last chapter, but since you brought it up, I wanted to answer it in case anyone else had the same question. Again thank you for the comment. They are always welcome! SJ

* * *

Chapter 14, Piece 16 * * * * * * * *

"Just go talk to him!" Otogi pushed Honda toward the door. "Maybe he just needs some encouragement!"

"Call Jou, then. He's good at that." Honda stopped in the hallway and held both of his lover's hands. "Ryuji, I can't do this. I'm not an editor, I'm not encouraging. I'm just going to make it worse."

"How can it be worse? Please, tell me! We have four days to get 80 pages to the printer or we forfeit our deposit. Our primary artist is stuck at an airport in visa hell, our publisher is begging his grandfather for money - again - because our backer dropped out, and I just got a call that our biggest outlet wants to cut their order in half. So how will you make this worse?"

Honda grimaced. Things did sound pretty bad.

"Hiroto, please. I'm not asking you to write it yourself. Eric knows how to do all the technical stuff, but he worries about whether anyone reads his stories. Just talk to him, tell him he's popular."

"Which one is he?"

"The story we need is the final chapter of the Japanese cop living in Kansas."

"The murder mystery? That one's great! It's like the best thing we've got."

"Don't tell me, tell him. I've got to get the bookstore to change their minds. And then I've got to do something about Jounouchi's visa."

Honda kissed Otogi's forehead. "You'll be fine. You, I believe in." He hit the elevator button. "I just hope you're right about me."

Otogi went back into the office. The bookstore probably just wanted a price discount. And Jou was able to fax from the airport's business services center; they could find someone to clean up the rough copies. But whether Mutou-san made them the loan depended entirely on whether he had any funds to spare. He had been able to give them enough to get started; now, anything would help, but a couple thousand would get them out of the current cash flow crunch.

Issue #6 and already worried about folding. Otogi made a pot of tea, all of the crises could wait at least that long.

The magazine had been an almost spur of the moment idea. Yugi and Otogi had been in Denver for a Duelist convention, and began chatting with a couple locals about locally-produced manga. There were none. They did some research, and discovered that there were some manga originally written in English or other Non-Asian languages, but most 'OELs' seemed independent, and few were reaching their target markets.

In truth, Otogi suspected that Yugi was looking for an excuse to stay in Colorado. Anyone with eyes could see that he and Mokuba-kun were good for each other. Being in the US kept Otogi's father out of his life, and Honda had been between jobs anyway.

So, they put together an American yaoi with Jou and one of the guys they met at the convention - Japanese feel and style, but characters and locations set in the States. 'Half-Hearted Mangazine' they named it, in honor of all the broken hearted people in their circle of friends. Bakura heard about the project, and got a case of issues to distribute at some shops he knew in Domino. The print runs were small, but they sold out of the first few issues. They had to do second printings for everything so far. And the buzz for the next issue was good. Larger stores were placing small orders.

But a late delivery to the printer would put them in a bind with all of their distributors. Late distribution would affect sales. Sales would affect orders for the next issue. The money was there to cover everything, but the flow was slow. Every month they were waiting for 'Peter' so they could pay 'Paul'. Even one month of cushion in the bank would give them time to stabilize. Two months, they might even be able to grow.

Otogi sighed as he picked up the whistling tea pot. A backer willing to fund them for a couple issues would give them a fighting chance.

But finding one was a fight of its own.


	15. Piece 04

Chapter 15, Piece 4 * * * * * * * *

After some effort, they managed to get Seto on his futon. The yukata he wore for his bath had fallen open during the process, however, Seto discovered that the flimsy material did nothing - even when tied - to cover his unexpected arousal.

"What are you working on?" he asked, not sure where to start a conversation, but desperate not to lose the chance.

"Nothing." Jou shrugged.

"You are very intent on nothing."

He shrugged again. "It's an idea I had."

"For?"

"For what does it matter? You're either gonna ridicule the idea or ridicule the art, and I don't want to hear either."

Seto tilted his head. "You honestly believe that, don't you?" He shook his head and almost smiled. "I am genuinely captivated by your attention."

"You're what?" Jou chuckled. "I think you left out a couple words."

"I don't believe so." Seto's smile grew. "You are known as something of an artist, so I am interested in what has captivated your attention." He actually snickered. "It's captivating."

Jou considered him for what seemed like forever. Then he picked up the sketch pad. "I always figured there must be two other dragons. There are always four. Four seasons, four winds, four directions, four elements."

"Four elements?"

"Fire, wind, earth, water."

"Ah. Yes. So, four dragons. Black, white...?"

"Red, blue." He turned the pad and revealed the picture.

Four dragons curled around each other so that a part of each body rested on two of the other three dragons. Completely symbiotic. The colors, the flow, the movement. It was a masterpiece.

"You're extraordinary," Seto said. "Truly."

"You had more than a couple if you'd say something like that." Jou grinned. "I think it's lights out for both of us."


	16. Piece 19

Chapter 16, Piece 19 * * * * * * * *

"So, how are you feeling today, Seto?"

"Bored, Doctor," he replied. "When can I go home?"

His language skills were rapidly improving, the doctor noted. For the first week after he woke, Seto spoke only Japanese - although he seemed to understand English. Now, he was speaking both fluently. She'd even heard that he'd been practicing Chinese with one of the nurses. His first cognitive test placed him as a very bright 12-year-old, while he claimed to be ten. Of course physically he was 25. The second cognitive test, two weeks later, brought him up to 16. She was confident that his educational knowledge would be fully restored.

Unfortunately, there had been no one who could help assess the man's personal memories. The younger brother didn't know much about it, and there were no other resources.

The last thing Seto himself remembered was getting into a car with his father. It was heartbreaking to watch him deal with the loss of his father. The boy - the man - was inconsolable with grief.

But the brother had been instrumental in assessing how deep the man's memory loss went. And in designing a reeducation program.

"Trust me, doc," Mokuba had laughed when she'd pointed out that the lesson plans were several grade-levels too high. "He'll be through this and driving you crazy before I finish programming Module 2."

She spent an hour a day with Seto. When they started, it was to help him adjust. Now, she was trying to keep up with him! "We discussed that." She smiled. "You can go home when...?"

He huffed. "When everyone is satisfied that I am bored to death!" He pouted - which on that face should be illegal - and leaned closer to her. "The sooner I can go home, the sooner I am no longer your patient. I could be... other things."

His passes at her were getting more subtle, more adult. She had been trying to ignore them, but by chance, Mokuba had overheard the last one.

She closed her notebook. "Okay, Seto. We're both adults. Let's talk about sex." He blushed at the word and sat up again. "So, tell me about a girl you like. Not me."

He shrugged. "I guess there aren't any."

"What about any boys."

He froze. "Why would I like any boys?" He answered finally.

"Your brother seemed surprised to hear that you are attracted to me." He shrugged again. "Do you remember any special girls?"

"I don't remember anything." His voice was tight.

"Okay. We don't have to talk about that today. We'll just look at how you feel right now. Alright?" He nodded, and she smiled gently. "Did you know that Dr. Berenger and Dr. Cooper are married to each other?"

"But..." He frowned. "Two men can get married in America. I knew that. In Japan, they can't legally marry, so they adopt. You become a part of your spouse's family in a much more binding way. I think that's better. Marriage defines two roles - a husband, a wife. Adoption, however, allows you to be spouses, siblings, parent/child. You define the relationship for yourself."

"You've thought about this."

"I must have. I know it the way I know my name."

"Are you uncomfortable with the idea of two men being in a relationship with each other?"

"No." He frowned deeply. "It's...odd." He hesitated. "I know my parents were in love, were truly devoted to each other. But, at the same time, that seems wrong. Relationships are at best a distraction, and more commonly an unnecessary complication." She let him think for a moment. "Both cannot be true, can they?"

"Different relationships have different circumstances. Maybe one was true for your parents but not true for you."

"I've never had a relationship."

"Are you sure about that? Maybe this is another question your brother could help you answer."


	17. Piece 40

Chapter 17, Piece 40 * * * * * * * *

"This is a corporate event," Mokuba smiled coldly. "We invited corporate friends."

"I'd hate to see the corporate enemy list," Honda retorted.

"Same list," Anzu muttered.

"Not quite," Mokuba huffed, then turned on the woman. "And what the hell did you tell him about Jou?"

"Yeah!" Honda agreed. "What the hell?"

"Nothing! I'm not kidding - he took one look at Jou and insisted it was love. Mutual love. He thinks Jou's some rich, aloof, outsider. Said he was the future father of his children."

"Yeah, that's not disturbing at all," Mokuba muttered. "Where did Jou go anyway?"

"The restroom," Bakura said. "He promised he would stay until we all left or until Kaiba-san spoke to him." He looked thoughtful. "But we didn't know he'd be like this. He's actually friendly. And polite. He's like a different person."

"He's happy." Mokuba smiled fondly.

"Could someone else be happy? Finally falling in love?" Otogi teased.

"Who?" Then Mokuba caught his meaning. "Me? No." He shook his head. "Not even in lust right now."

"Because you work too hard." Seto rejoined the conversation. "When I take over again, that will be the first order of business. Frankly, I don't see why you don't just go out with Mutou. He's available, cute, and not after money."

"There's more to it than that, nii-sama."

"No, there's not." Seto was adamant. "You must have learned that from that Gozaburo. '_Money and power only last an hour, but friendship and love are the sun above_.' Papa said that. He and mama met at a goukun, dated twice, and were married by the end of the year. You've known Mutou at least that long."

"Yugi and I are just friends."

"I don't believe I've ever heard you mention your parents before," Bakura commented.

"That was the old Seto," Seto responded, surprising the group. "Come to the house before you return to America. I had a portrait of them done. It's in the dining room. I had one of my adopted father done as well; it's in the living room. He was quite handsome."

"You hated him," Otogi pointed out.

Seto shrugged. "I don't remember him. He adopted us. If nothing else, I honor him for giving Mokie a home."

"Huh." Honda looked into the crowd. "You really have changed. Maybe you guys should talk."


	18. Piece 28

Chapter 18, Piece 28 * * * * * * * *

"I thought we should meet in person for real, before we met in character," the man said, smiling hopefully. "So it's Kazuhi, not 'Noa'."

"Of course." Mokuba smiled as he stood and bowed formally. "I'm Tamura."

And mentally scratched Kazuhi off the list.

Which was a shame. Even without a wig, Kazuhi looked alot like Noa. His eyes were the right color and his face had the right structure. He was the fourth son of some branch family; the main family were originally daimyo, bankers and accountants. Not Kaiba-level wealthy, but enough not to be impressed by wealth.

He was smart, too. During dinner, the conversation moved from finance and the economy, to current movies, to traditional music. Kazuhi was funny, charming, and pretty hot even without the cosplay. At a nightclub after dinner, they spent enough time on the dance floor to impress each other before moving to a table in the VIP lounge.

But after a month of discussing it online, the deal had been that 'Mokuba' and 'Noa' would go on a date. If he couldn't stick to the first promise they made to each other for the first time they met, how many other promises would he break.

The conversation lulled for a moment. Kazuhi looked at Mokuba seriously, as if studying him. Then, he seemed to come to a decision. "Stay here for a minute. I need to go powder my nose."

"You're not just a girl," Mokuba teased, referring to an earlier conversation they'd had. "You're an American girl."

"They have more fun!" Kazuhi laughed back.

It was a long minute. It was long enough for Mokuba to order another drink and wonder if he'd been ditched.

'First time for every-'

His thoughts completely derailed as the world around him seemed to freeze.

Noa was walking through the crowd, toward him.

He was wearing a white suit, and his teal hair was cut into a sharp point between his eyes. Eyes that seemed to lock onto Mokuba's and hold them as they grew larger.

"So. How do I look, Mokuba?"

The voice. The voice was wrong. Too high, too feminine. But even so, it took Mokuba's brain a few slow seconds to realize what he was seeing. "Kazuhi?"

"Noa, now. You're spilling your drink."

"Huh?" Mokuba could only stare as 'Noa' reached over and took the glass from him.

"Just like a messy kid, li'l bro. You should be more careful." Kazuhi sat down. He picked up a napkin and wiped the spill. "Well? Say something."

'I could probably get used to the voice,' Mokuba thought. 'Or he can go to a vocal trainer.' He cleared his throat. "You understand what I want? I mean, after tonight."

"After tonight?"

"Yeah." Mokuba managed to smirk. "Because whatever we decide for the long term, tonight I am going to make you late for work tomorrow."

"My!" 'Noa' fluttered his eyes. "That didn't sound brotherly."

"Brotherly love is more fun," Mokuba chuckled darkly. "A game for the family."

"Twisted," 'Noa' snickered. "It would be sick if it were real."

"Yeah," Mokuba agreed. "It would be. Both. Sick _and_ real."

"Are we in character or out?" Kazuhi asked, smiling but serious. "Roleplay and fetishes are fun, Tamora-chan, but reality lurks around every corner."

Mokuba glanced around. The club was packed and loud, but there were some things that shouldn't be discussed in public places. "Why don't we leave reality here, and go somewhere we can give in to the roleplay completely."

'Noa' leered at him. "I've been hoping to hear you say that all night."

There was a whole district of love hotels a short walk away. Mokuba picked one that was pricey enough to weed out the whores, but not so high-end that they might run into someone who knew either of them.

"So." 'Noa' nodded his approval of the room. "How does screwing your brother differ from screwing anyone else?"

Mokuba frowned but understood the question. Most of the other guys who'd gotten as far as cosplay thought it was a game too. And Mokuba made it a game with them; having sex and giving them a fake number afterward. One night stands with physical release and not much else. Kazuhi, despite the iffy start, seemed the most open minded.

But an open mind was only the start of what Mokuba wanted.

"It doesn't if no one knows he's your brother." Mokuba pulled 'Noa' into his arms. "It's just a secret sin between the two of you."

"I see." 'Noa' was an inch or two shorter. "Then, I don't need to do anything special to get you in the mood."

"I think undressing is special, Nii-san." Mokuba removed 'Noa's jacket and started on his shirt and tie.

"Oh, that is wicked," 'Noa' snickered. "I think I'm going to like playing with my little brother."

The sex was good, and as he expected, Mokuba kept 'Noa' up most of the night.

He woke to an unfamiliar cell phone ringing. In his arms was a warm body with teal hair. It was a real hair wig, not synthetic. He pulled the man tighter and tried to remain in the dream a bit longer.

Kazuhi apparently could reach the phone anyway. "Jiromoto. Oh, hi." He yawned. "No. Is it? Oh. Hell. No, I'm not; I'm...with a friend. No, you don't. No. No. Aniki, did you actually need something or are you just... Who? Oh, you are kidding! What time did you say it was?"

Mokuba sighed deeply. The only reason his own phone wasn't ringing with a similar conversation was because he'd turned it off during dinner. Still, when Kazuhi tried to move, Mokuba held him tighter. Reality bites.

"Hold on." Kazuhi's tone changed. "Tamora-chan, eventually I'm gonna have to get up."

"Hang up, Noa." Mokuba kissed the back of his neck. "Give me another hour." He used one hand to stroke a strong chest.

Kazuhi didn't respond for a moment. "Aniki? Two hours. I'll meet you in the office, Okay? Okay. What? Oh. Hmm, maybe not. We'll see what happens in the next hour." The phone clicked shut. "How about we continue in the shower?"

Damn reality. "Won't your hair get wet?"

"What, the wig?" Kazuhi laughed. "It's falling off - oh, you want me to... Right. Sure. Tell you what, give me a minute to start it, then come join me."

After the shower, Mokuba stayed in the bathroom to dry off. When he came out, it was fully Kazuhi, not 'Noa', wearing the white suit.

The man looked at Mokuba through the mirror reflection. "Listen, that was fun but a little intense. This Noa character -"

"He's not a character." Mokuba began dressing. "My brother died when he was sixteen."

"Oh." Kazuhi turned around. "Oh God. He didn't -"

"Anything." Mokuba smiled. "Noa never did anything. I fell in love with him. I'm the sick one."

"Maybe 'sick' is a bit strong. I wouldn't mind doing this again. But, frankly, I'd rather get to know the real Tamora."

"Too soon for adoption?"

"Well," he seemed to truly consider the idea. "My father would never agree. But my uncle is head of the family, and he'd probably let us. You want to be Jiromoto no Meshigome?"

"Ha, uh no, actually." Mokuba grinned. "I forgot my profile doesn't show my family name. I was planning on adopting the guy who can become Noa. Not cosplay, not occasionally, but for real and always."

"And your father will accept that."

"My father's dead. I'm head of the family." Which was true until Seto was restored and the power of attorney canceled. "And I'm pretty sure I outrank your uncle."

"So, who are you?"

Mokuba kissed Kazuhi's cheek. "I'll tell you after our third date."


	19. Piece 05

Chapter 19, Piece 5 * * * * * * * *

Despite his late night, Seto was awake at 6 the next morning. All that was visible beside him was a blanket and a mop of golden blond hair.

It was a sight he thought he could enjoy seeing each morning.

Seto lay there, enjoying the peace and early morning birds and trying to ignore the voice telling him that if he was awake, then he should be up, being productive.

He lasted twenty minutes before restlessness forced him up. The inn had a shared facility, which he used, remembering for some reason the orphanage and the facilities he had to use - and occasionally clean - there. "What a long, strange trip it's been," he thought.

It was early, and to all appearances no one else was awake. The room he and Jou were assigned had a traditional deck. Seto stepped outside and did his morning tai chi forms. He had practiced tai chi for as long as he could remember. It was one of only a handful of pre-adoption habits of which Gozabura approved. The art helped order the mind and body, so before he faced the world, before he even dressed himself, Seto faced the 96-forms of the Wu Tao variant.

Nude.

Jou woke to the firm footfalls and the sunlit silhouette of someone working out.

'Gotta be Kaiba,' he chuckled to himself. As traditional as the rising sun and twice as predictable.

Jou sat up, yawned, scratched and tried to be quiet as he slipped down the hall to relieve himself.

As he returned to the room, he glanced through the partly open deck door and saw Kaiba.

Tall. Graceful. Completely, totally, butt naked.

Jou's throat went dry as he watched muscular arms lock in position, shapely thighs flex and hold, sculpted abs twist to reveal either a taut chest or a beautiful back.

Jou stood riveted until he realized that Kaiba was in the closing position. Then, rather abruptly, Jou became aware of the steel rod straining his shorts. He slipped out of the room again - before Kaiba turned and saw him watching - to relieve a different need. Twice.

Kaiba was dressed and on his laptop by the time Jou returned.

"No, I can't," Kaiba hissed. "I am on an off-site assignment for school!" It took Jou a second to see the bluetooth tucked behind his ear. "Why are we even discussing this?"

Jou grabbed his clothes and dressed. It was way too early to be up and awake, but if Kaiba was gonna be working, Jou figured it was a good time to snag an early breakfast. Before Honda woke up and cleaned the place out.

Before he left the room he heard Kaiba sigh. "Yes, I suppose that does place me in the right location at the right time. Fine. When do they open?" He looked at his watch. "Can someone be there in an hour? No, I can't. You did hear me when I said this trip is related to my education? Tell them I will be there at 8:30am sharp. If the door is not open, I am leaving at 8:35. I have to go. I am with a classmate."

Kaiba clicked a button and removed the bluetooth.

"Man, sounds like your day's off to a rough start," Jou said, trying to offer some sympathy. It had never occurred to him that maybe the times Kaiba hadn't participated in things was because of calls like that.

Kaiba straightened his shoulders and erased the frustrated expression on his face. "Nothing I can't handle. A large client of mine has had a catastrophic system failure. User error, not a software problem. I happen to be both the software designer for their system - and physically the closest certified KaibaCorp tech."

"So that makes you 'It', eh?"

"It?"

Jou gave him an odd look. "You know, like when you play tag? 'You're it!'"

"Ah." Kaiba nodded. "Yes, Mokuba used to play that game with the other children."

"You never played?"

"Too old." Kaiba shook his head. "I was usually assigned to watch them as they played, so I am familiar with the game."

For a moment, Jou was speechless. What kind of kid doesn't get to play tag?

If Kaiba noticed his shock, he didn't respond. Instead, the executive stood. "I'd better have some breakfast before I head to the aquarium."

"That's your client? We were planning on hitting that today."

Kaiba frown as he closed his computer. "Of course," he commented under his breath. "No pressure." Aloud he said, "the system in question is an interactive hologram near the shark tanks. I anticipate having repairs completed by the time they open at 9."

"And get your day back." Jou had an impulse and went with it. "Hey, we might actually be there by 9, 9:30. Why don't you come hang with us?"

Hang? With Jou and his friends. They always talk about acceptance and understanding but Kaiba found that they never understood him enough to accept him into their little group.

"Yeah, right. Sorry I asked. Skip it, I -"

"No, wait!" He'd taken too long and almost let an opportunity slip past him. "I cannot guarantee that I'll be able to reload their data in a timely manner. I wouldn't want to commit and then interfere with your plans."

Jou grinned widely. "Plans? Us? Dude, our only plan is going to the place. We pretty much play everything by ear." It was still a brush off, but it was probably the nicest brush off Kaiba had ever done. "Tell you what, we'll swing by the sharks first. You wanna join us, join. Otherwise, we'll move on."

Maybe he'd be able to cull Jou from the herd at that point. "Yes. I believe that would suit. I'd better get moving, if I'm going to arrive on time."

Since he didn't need to leave the room, Jou lay back down.

Kaiba. Naked. Wow.

That sight was going to be fuel for his right hand for years.

It was odd that Kaiba was being nice. Maybe they'd finally gotten through to him. Maybe he finally realized that he did need friends. Even a dragon needs more than gold coins and a virgin sacrifice. Stranger things had happened. If Yami hadn't proven that old adage, nothing would.

Seto arrived at the Aquarium a minute early and was greeted by a tediously thankful curator. Water had shorted out a power cable. An intern had been told to reboot the hologram, but had inadvertently selected reformat instead.

"Yes, yes. I understand completely." Kaiba smiled graciously. "I can simply download the software from the Kaiba server. It shouldn't take too long."

"Download it? Oh, you brought a disk?"

"No, but surely you have wi-fi."

"Yes, but when you installed it, you said it would be more secure if this machine were not on the network. So it isn't."

"I can use the machine's internal modem to -"

"But we took it out."

"What?"

"We needed a modem for another machine, and since this one doesn't need access, we took it out."

"I see." He swallowed his response behind another professional smile. "Then I shall just have to find another solution. You may go back to your duties; I'll come to your office when this is complete."


	20. Piece 32

Chapter 20, Piece 32 * * * * * * * *

"Kaiba-sama, I do not believe this is wise." Roland said yet again. "Sato-san and I have maintained your schedule for years. A personal assistant is an unreasonable expense. And, if it were warranted, our personnel office is fully capable of finding a qualified, security vetted candidate. Coming here," he tsked, eyeing the conference room warily, "to such a common -"

"Were you aware that KaibaCorp only considers applications from candidates in the top 3% of their colleges?" Seto studied the view of the city instead of looking at Roland, Sato, or the two interns they brought. The table was polished but chipped. The view was as sweeping as any on the fifth floor could be.

"Of course. Kaiba Gozaburo expected only the best and the brightest, and you have always continued the same -"

"I didn't attend college." Seto cut him off again. "My private education allowed me to obtain a master's degree, but I never received a diploma, never ranked in my class." He faced his team. "How does it make sense that I could not apply for a job at the company that bears my name?"

Roland and Sato exchange a look.

"Sir," Sato began, "your qualifications would -"

"My qualifications got me a very terse rejection letter from KaibaCorp."

"...what?" Sato and Roland both seemed taken aback.

"One of the assignments in Mokuba's reeducation program. He designed it primarily for me, of course, but it will be marketed generally. I've been doing all the assignments, not just the ones suggested for me. This one was on how to write a resume. I created one for 'Setoka Iba' using my actual history and skills, and was rejected by every employer but one."

"This agency," Roland guessed.

"This agency," Seto nodded. "Understand. I do not intend to change our HR policy wholesale. But this agency recognized my merit as an applicant when KaibaCorp did not. I want to see what other applicants they have. If the personal assistant is successful, then I want to add - not replace - add this agency to our HR options."

"And that answers the biggest question in our office this week," a voice laced with mirth said. Standing in the doorway was a woman carrying too many folders. "And, please tell Setoka-san he doesn't need to return my call."

Seto laughed. "You must be Takashi-san. Thank you for your time. My team - Roland, Sato, Yamata, Ahata. Are these all of your candidates?"

She nearly dropped the files on the table. "You said everyone, qualified or not. This is everyone we know who is currently, actively looking."

They all began reading folders.

Several hours later, they were still reading when Takashi picked up a file and handed it to Roland. "This woman I interviewed this morning. She's been working as a dancer, so she has very little experience, but she seemed very bright."

"Thank you." Roland took the file. He glanced at it, flipped one page, and closed it again. "No."

Sato took the folder and controlled a snicker at the name. "Agreed."

"Are you familiar with her?" Takashi sounded concerned. "Did she lie about something?"

"Nothing like that," Sato soothed. "She'll make an excellent candidate for another organization. I am unfamiliar with her college career, but she was in the top tenth of her high school class."

Seto took the folder. "So why are we unwilling to consider her?" He looked at the name. "Mazaki Anzu." He considered for a moment then shook his head. "Ah. Domino High School. These dates - she would have been a classmate of mine. Do I know her? I trust there is a reason you are rejecting her out-of-hand?"

Sato and Roland exchanged another look.

"This woman has experience with a Russian firm," Sato offered another file. "I think she would be a good choice."

Seto looked at Sato and Roland. He didn't realize it, but they were both very familiar with the 'Kaiba Face of Resolution'.

He turned to Takashi. "Bring her in. Today."

"Sir?"

"I want to see her now."

"But…."

"These two spend much of their time trying to protect me from - from, I have no idea what, frankly. Nor do I care. But thus far, I have learned that the less they want me to do something, the more I enjoy doing it." He almost grinned as Roland nearly growled. "For the most part, at least. Contact this woman, and bring her in. Now."

Takashi took the file and called phone number listed. "Mazaki-san? Good news! I have a position for you. It's an admin at a major corporation, and you'll be working with senior management. Is that something you'd be interested in?" She laughed. "I'm sure. So, the management team would like to meet with you. Can you be here in the next half hour? Ah." Takashi glanced at Seto, then took a deep breath and smiled. "Mazaki-san, this executive is very busy, and he is available, here, today. It may be weeks before there is space on his calendar again. I understand - oh, I see. You're not at home." Takashi mouthed 'no cab fare' to the room listening. "We understand if you're not dressed corporate. Could your friend give you a ride?"

"Tell her to take a cab," Seto said. "We'll pay when she arrives." He snapped his fingers at Ahata and gestured toward the door. The man stood, bowed, and left the room.

"Mazaki-san? Take a cab. Someone will meet you in the lobby." Takashi nodded. "I understand. That's fine. Thank you." She hung up. "She'll be here as quickly as she can. Shall we review a few more candidates while we wait?"

"That won't be necessary," Roland intoned. "Kaiba-sama, if we are done, Sato and I should return to the office."

"Stay; you'll both be working with her, I want you here." He snapped his fingers at Yamata. "Tea."

Twenty minutes of chat later, the door opened. A woman walked in and stopped cold. "Kaiba." Her eyes narrowed.

"Yes, and you must be Mazaki-san. Please, have a seat."

"Mazaki 'san'?" She scoffed. "I cannot believe that you would stoop so low. Is calling me a failure so worth it to you that you would waste -"

"Failure?" Seto gave her a curious look. "Why would I call you a failure?"

"Oh please! Yugi told Mokuba; Mokuba tells you everything." She sighed wearily. "I don't even know how I'll get back."

"I'll have Ahata drive you when we are finished. Sit."

"No, Jou's the 'dog.' I'm the 'beard.' You must be getting old - your memory's slipping."

"The 'beard'?" Seto looked at his team. Sato was looking away, while Roland face-palmed. "I gather that's one of the terms I have not re-learned. Anyone?" Yamata came and whispered in Seto's ear. "Ah! Really? I don't recall seeing that on your resume." He picked up the document.

"Oh you are _such_ an ass! I'm going. _Thanks_ for this little trip down memory lane. And just so we're clear - I wouldn't work for you if it was the last job at the last company on Earth!"

"Ahata!" Seto snapped. "Bring me the title and registration of my car." The man hurried off again. "Mazaki-san, if you are still here when he returns, I will sign the car over to you."

"And then report it stolen."

"Sato's a notary. You mentioned a 'Yugi'; are you referring to Mutou Yugi?"

"Who else would I mean?"

"I didn't know you were acquainted with him as well. Our lives do seem to intersect frequently."

"Intersect frequently?" She repeated, anger giving way to disbelief. "Is this one of those 'evil twin' things again? Because if it is, you can handle it without me. I am not going back to Egypt!"

"We traveled together? We must have been much closer than I know. Did we date?"

"DATE?!" Seto nodded. "You?! And me?!" Seto nodded again.

Mazaki laughed.


	21. Piece 41

Dear Guest: Thank you for your kind and supportive words. Your reviews always make me smile, and my only wish is that I could thank you directly. Have a nice day and a truly wonderful new year. Sincerely, SJ

* * *

Chapter 21, Piece 41 * * * * * * * *

"My Gods, he's so beautiful," Seto sighed, looking across the room.

The group turned to see that Jounouchi had slipped back into the party, and was laughing with another guest.

"He's so elegant. Like a prince in a fairy tale."

"You need to seriously dial back his meds." Honda turned abruptly to Anzu. "Is it my imagination, or do you work here?"

"Oh. Yeah." Anzu blushed faintly even as she straightened her shoulders. "I'm his personal assistant."

"You couldn't have mentioned that?"

"When? It's not like we all met for coffee once a week."

"True." Otogi also turned to her. "But the last time we did see you, you were in 'A Chorus Line' in New York. That was, what, a year ago?"

"Year and a half," she corrected.

"I didn't know you were a dancer." Seto took his eyes off Jounouchi for a moment. "You should have mentioned it. Is that where you learned the dance you taught me?"

"Why did you stop dancing?" Eric ventured.

"Wait," Bakura cut in. "Forgive me, but, did you teach Kaiba-senpai to dance?"

She had to laugh. "Uh, yeah. There was a party and -"

"It was a formal holiday ball," Seto sounded excited at the memory. "And it was the first time I wore a tuxedo." He pulled out his phone. "First time I remember, at least." He tapped and swiped a bit. "There." He showed the pictures to the group. "That's me and Anzu doing the waltz. And that's Mokie with the Prime Minister's daughter. I think she likes him - that's the second time they've gone out."

"TMI, Nii-sama."

"And he only does that when I'm embarrassing him. You did that when you were little, too." He swiped the screen a couple times. "Those are some boring government people. Oh! This one is back at the Center. That's my American doctor."

"And that's Yugi," Otogi said. "Yugi, any reason you never mentioned any of this?"

"I promised." Yugi shrugged. "Mokuba asked me not to talk about Seto's condition."

"I didn't just ask, either," Mokuba spoke up. "Everyone who knew about Seto's accident was signed to a confidentiality agreement. Why do you think this hasn't been in the news?"

"Because he's not that important?" Otogi offered.

"Because I've kept it out," Mokuba growled. "The last thing he needed was a bunch of losers hanging around, begging for money."

"Like us?" Honda retorted.

"Obviously not you." Mokuba rolled his eyes.

"I am right here." Seto's tone was as icy as ever. "During my recovery, my brother made decisions on my behalf, and I trust his choice to limit my exposure. Now, I need information, not protection. Tonight will be in the news. I want everyone to know that I am back. And I am better. Not just recovered from my injury, but superior to who and what I was."

"And modest too."

Seto chuckled softly. "I don't imagine I was ever modest. Papa used to say he was the best manager at his firm, but almost the worst salesman. He taught me to know what I could do, and know what I could not."

"_Don't be anything you're not, but be everything you are_," Mokuba quoted from a memory. "I thought that was one of Gozaburo's."

"Excuse me, Kaiba-sama, Kaiba-san." Roland bowed politely to the brothers. "We are ready to make the announcement."

"Thank you," Seto acknowledged his assistant. He nodded to the group and handed Anzu his drink. "Find my prince. Tell him anything you want, but get me five minutes of his time before the night ends."


	22. Piece 20

Chapter 22, Piece 20 * * * * * * * *

Ryou waited where he always waited. North exit, near the bus stop. The wind was cold, but then Ryou hadn't felt warm in years. Not since...

"Ryou-kun!" Yugi yelled, waving. One bag. Yugi always traveled light.

Ryou smiled. "Welcome home." He hugged his friend and took his bag. "I'm parked this way."

Neither of them spoke much on the drive back to Ryou's apartment. They didn't need much conversation. Most of what they did discuss revolved around the manga.

Most of the rest was how not to commit suicide.

Yugi had had to watch as his soulmate walked into oblivion. Ryou had been joined magically with his soulmate when Zorc was destroyed, taking Bakura's life force as well. Some days it was hard to say which was worse.

Half-Hearted Mangazine specialized in stories about true-love-lost and right-man/wrong-time. About people for whom that one in a million had come and gone. Lots of mangas showed happy love. Half-Hearted was for those whom love had split in two.

Once in Ryou's small 1LDK, Yugi collapsed on the sofa.

Ryou dropped next to him. "Shower?"

"Later," Yugi groaned. He tugged Ryou's shoulder, turning the man for a passionate kiss.

It had been like this since high school. Sex didn't eliminate the pain and loss, it just made it easier to bear for an hour or two.

Yugi was always seme. Zorc had very quickly conditioned Ryou; he couldn't top now even if he wanted to. In all honesty, Yugi would have preferred bottoming. But then, in all honesty, Yugi would have preferred to be with Atemu. They both understood. They both accepted.

Slowly, gently, build to passion. Ryou wouldn't penetrate Yugi, but he'd do anything else and, in truth, Yugi could think of worse fates than to be 'stuck' with a lover who was trained by a demon. The white-haired man knew some tricks that had caused Yugi to scream in sheer ecstasy before he blacked out. Their first night together was always given over to Yugi's needs. And while Yugi would never give his heart to Ryou, he did love him as more than just a friend.

With Ryou, Yugi could let go - anger, frustration, need, grief - and Ryou did the same. No closure, no healing, no 'moving on'. They allowed each other to wallow in lost love without reproach.

Yugi woke later to the smell of fish steaming and eggs frying. "Mmm. God, I gotta learn to cook."

His primary income these days was dueling. Coming home twice a year actually paid for the trip itself and another couple months of daily expenses – if he was frugal. The local conventions and duels supplemented. So long as the appearance fee or grand prize was more than the cost of the trip, Yugi went. There were enough of them that he was able to keep the rent paid and food in the kitchen, but not much else.

This time would hopefully be different. Ryou-kun scraped up enough money for a dealer's table, so when Yugi wasn't defending his title, or pretending to be a celebrity, he was selling Half-Hearted back issues. Which was another one of Ryou's good ideas.

Ryou almost never asked permission or made suggestions, he just did things to help and appeared with money or a solution. A new distributor, a new list of subscribers. A warm bed for free.

Nearly free.

Yugi sighed, as they returned to Ryou's apartment. They'd had a deal since high school, but he would never feel comfortable with it. He understood. He understood his friend having a need only his dead lover could truly fill. He just wished he was more at ease helping.

They entered the apartment with a trophy and one box of unsold stock.

"Hungry?" Ryou asked, heading into the kitchen. "I can make some miso -" he gasped in surprise as Yugi grabbed his wrist and yanked him backward. The white haired man found himself abruptly on the floor.

Thanks to their relative sizes and strengths, Yugi had to learn a few tricks. Catching Ryou from behind and throwing him off-balance was one of the most effective.

"Yugi!" he snapped. "What the hell? That -"

"Hurt?" Yugi chuckled. "Good. I've been working on that one." He put his foot on his friend's groin and watched gray eyes widen. "Hurt is the point, right?" He shifted his weight forward and was rewarded with a sharp intake of breath.

"...you're...crushing..."

"It's not like you need them." Yugi shrugged. "Besides. You _like_ it. Don't you." It wasn't a question. "Say it." He pressed harder.

"I...don't...pain..."

"Liar, liar, pants on fire." Yugi rubbed his foot back and forth. "I can feel you. Say you like it, or I'll stop and go stay with Grandpa tonight. You won't get to see any of the toys -"

"I like it!" Ryou gasped. "Please...please don't go."

"Ok." Yugi removed his foot, but Ryou stayed on the floor. "I found this unreal store on Colorado Boulevard. Fascinating, or something like that. Anyway, they sell – well, just wait." Yugi suddenly realized that he'd broken character and frowned heavily. "Go get the black bag in my suitcase. And strip for me. Slowly."

In the cabinet over the sink, Ryou usually kept a bottle of sake. Yugi found it and a glass, and poured enough to help him let the demon out.

Whether it was his own or his friend's, Yugi wasn't sure.


	23. Piece 06

Dear Guest: Thank you again for your kind review. I hadn't realized it, but yes, out of the five couples in the story only one is currently happy. This could be an issue of Half Hearted. But, as in life, sometimes you must love the one you're with, rather than be with the one you love. You have a lovely day as well. SJ

* * *

Chapter 23, Piece 6 * * * * * * * *

"So, I invited Kaiba to hang with us at the aquarium," Jou said casually over breakfast.

Honda, Otogi and Ryou all nearly choked.

"Ok," Yugi replied without hesitation. "Good. Did he say 'yes'?"

Jou grabbed another bowl of miso and shrugged. "He's gotta fix a computer at the aquarium anyway, so he said he might. Kinda jacked up, the way they just call him and don't give a shit about his life."

"What life!" Honda snorted. "He doesn't have friends and his only hobbies are dueling and money."

"You wouldn't have friends or hobbies either if your job treated you like a product, not a person," Yugi rebuked him. "I think he's actually trying. So if he joins us, you be nice."

"Me!"

"Yes, you!"

Seto had to wire his personal laptop to the aquarium's computer as a slave drive, then download the files he needed. The drivers hadn't been updated since the initial installation. And, while reviewing the program, he discovered several instances where coding was inefficient or had been improved since the original creation. He made changes as he worked, actually losing track of time.

It was the most pleasant thing he'd done in ages. It was even fun.

The only nuisance was that the user interface was on the opposite side of the room, forcing him to move back a forth as he tested processes and changes.

"Wow!" Someone behind him gasped. "I didn't know there were orange sharks!"

Seto turned and looked up. "There aren't. That option shouldn't be available." He looked at his watch, frowned at being almost an hour behind schedule, then looked at the speaker.

Mutou was gazing up at the holo-sharks swimming over their heads. Honda, Bakura and Otogi were looking at the real sharks in the nearby tank.

Jounouchi was looking at him.

"Ah. Yes. I'm afraid this has taken longer than anticipated. This unit needed an entire overhaul. The software was archaic."

He crossed the room back to the terminal and fixed the color options. Then he crossed back to the user screen and ran the shark program again. The animal appeared blue-grey.

"So." Jou watched him work, remembering the muscular body hidden under those conservative clothes. "How long you think?"

Seto crossed the room again. "I am still downloading a system update. And I have five more species to review." He crossed back. "Maybe another hour, if all goes well." He began crossing the room again.

"You're gonna spend an hour wearing out this carpet!" Jou laughed. "Could you use a hand?"

"I hardly need help operating a game I designed for children!" Seto bristled.

"So then it can't be too hard for me, right?" Jou grinned. "I wasn't thinking of your skill, I meant your time." Jou went to the user screen. "How's it work?"

Kaiba hesitated. An opportunity to work with Jou was rare. "I wouldn't want to hold you all up."

"They're feeding the manta rays upstairs in ten minutes!" Yugi exclaimed. He had a map and a schedule. "If we hurry, we can get a good spot! Come on; we'll be back, Jou."

Before the others could respond, Yugi hustled them down the hall.

Jou laughed again. "See? Toldya. We pretty much play everything by ear."

"I see." Kaiba nodded and silently vowed to send Mutou an actual ton of rice in thanks. "Very well. Select the type of creature here, species, size, dimension of the scene, time, and run."

"Ok, sooooo, like this?" Jou press a few selections and a tiger shark began swimming the length of the room."

"Yes. Except I've already finished those. Start here and we'll work through the options."

"Cool. What are we looking for?"

"Anything that doesn't load properly. Like an orange shark."


	24. Piece 25

Chapter 24, Piece 25 * * * * * * * *

"Today is Tuesday," Seto said into the mic. "Mokie and I are going to a hypnotist to see if he can help recover any of my memories. Mokie says it's pure bullshit and something I would never have even considered before the accident.

"But I don't understand how that is relevant. Before the accident, I wouldn't have needed to recover any memories. And an unorthodox method may serve as a catalyst for memories to surface on their own.

"Whatever happens today, afterward I need to focus all my efforts on passing that damn high school equivalency exam. Mokie's right. I cannot go back to being what I was without the knowledge that I had. I hope I was as good as Mokie is. He said I raised him, but I don't know how. If I did, he's my best accomplishment."

Seto ended the tape and put it in the drawer with the others. Every morning he recorded one - plans for the day, general thoughts, people he'd met. Recording helped relieve the fear that one morning he'd wake up with no memory of the day before.

Two hours later, he and Mokuba were in the car. It wasn't a long drive but it was stressful for Seto. From what other patients had told him, recovering the missing memories could be as painful as trying to live without them.

As they pulled into the holistic health center's parking lot, Mokuba seemed troubled. "Nii-sama, I don't really have anything against hypnosis. I just - I just don't want you disappointed if this doesn't work."

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained," Seto replied. "At worst, I'll know this doesn't work and I can choose other methods accordingly."

Mokuba smiled slowly. "You always see the big picture."

They went in together. There was paperwork, and then a bit of a wait, and finally a man who reminded Seto of the doctors at the reeducation center greeted them. They discussed the accident, and what Seto hoped to recover.

And then they started.

The man had a classic pocket watch. It was like a scene out of a thousand movies to Mokuba as the small gold object swung back and forth while the hypnotist counted in reverse. When he stopped, Seto was breathing in slow, deep breaths, eyes closed.

"Can you hear me, Seto?"

"Yes."

"Good. I want you to go back in time, in your mind. Back to the earliest memories you have, even if it's only part of a memory - a face, a place. Can you do that?"

"Yes."

"Good. Hold that image in your mind until it's crystal clear. When you're ready, tell me about it."

"Sand. Sand is everywhere. The wind is swirling it around."

"Are you on a beach?"

"No. The desert. It's beautiful. It's chaos. It's the God playing."

"Okay. I want you to just breathe for a minute." The hypnotist looked at Mokuba, whose jaw had dropped. "Do you know what he's talking about? Should we stay here or move forward?"

"Move forward. Wait - bury that."

"Excuse me?"

"We'll come back another time and open that up, but right now, that's going to confuse things more."

"Mr. Kaiba, I don't think that it's in your brother's best interest to -"

"Believe me, he does not need that right now; not while he's still trying to understand reality."

The hypnotist shook his head and sighed with resignation. They had discussed this possibility. He turned back to Seto. "Can you still hear me?"

"Yes."

"Good. I want you to imagine that your mind is a very large house with lots of rooms. Now take the image of the sand and put it in a room. Now, lock that door. You don't need to think about anything behind a locked door. Can you do that?"


	25. Piece 43

Chapter 25, Piece 43 * * * * * * * *

"Ladies, Gentlemen." Mokuba acknowledged the assembled guests. "Others." He nodded toward a specific group and got a laugh from the general audience. "Thank you for joining us this evening. Tonight is special for KaibaCorp, and for me personally. As you all know, I have been overseeing operations as my brother concentrated on several pet projects that needed more focused attention."

"So that's the public line of bullshit?" Jou snickered.

"Shh!" Yugi admonished. "They had to say something."

"Why not, dude was in a fucking coma; even assholes need recovery time."

The group around them laughed again, and they picked up the thread of Mokuba's speech.

"Before we get to that, we have a special presentation if Kozuki Takuya will join me?"

The president of Konami Corp smiled as he joined the Kaiba brothers on the small stage. He was carrying three gift envelopes.

"Duel Monsters is based on a game played in ancient Egypt," Kozuki-san began. "Konami reintroduced the game to the modern world and so we were excited when Kaiba-sama showed us his research."

"There are two more Legendary Dragons," Seto interrupted him. He was practically bouncing with excitement. Mokuba face palmed as Kozuki looked at Seto, stunned. "You were taking too long to get to the point." Seto turned back to the guests. "This will only be of true interest to those in the Duelist community." He turned back to Kozuki. "Go on; tell them!"

Kozuki looked at Seto as if seeing something strange and new, but recovered after a moment. "Yes. As he said, there were originally four Dragons, representing the four cardinal points - north, south, east, west. When we revived the game, we used texts from the fourth dynasty. But Kaiba-sama was able to translate a third dynasty text and the earlier documents clearly show the two existing dragons - the black and the white representing north and south. But they also show dragons at east and west."

A large covered poster board was set up quickly by stagehands. Seto pulled away the sheet and revealed an enlarged re-creation of the tablet he'd found in his research.

"As you can see, the east dragon was at one time red, but the color used for the west has been lost and the only thing remaining are the eyes which were obsidian inlays."

"Oh you are shitting me!" Jou gasped. "I did not just see that."

"See what?" Honda asked.

Seto gestured and the stagehand brought forward two more posters. "There is an obvious -"

"Suggested," Kozuki corrected.

"..._obvious_ pattern here." Seto indicated the original tablet. "Each dragon has the eye color of the dragon next to it clockwise: red dragon, red eyes, black dragon, black eyes. Therefore, following this pattern, the west dragon must be," he whipped the cover off the second poster, "Black-eyes-blue-dragon. And the east must be White-eyes-red-dragon." He whipped off the remaining cover."

"Oh, you goddamn-dickhead-asshole-mother-fucking-son-of-a-_bitch_!" Jou growled. "You _stole_ it!"

There was some applause which Mokuba settled quickly. "I assure you, we haven't reached the real excitement."

"After careful consideration, we have decided to expand the Official Legacy Card set to include the missing dragons." There was a gasp from the assembled guests. Kozuki had expected it once he saw how many game industry attendees there were. "As with the originals, we have issued four of each card, and no Duelist may have more than three in a single deck. The Legacy cards are invalid for tournament play and so we are giving two of each to KaibaCorp to be given to the 'King of Games' over the next four years."

They made a photo op out of Kozuki handing one of the envelopes to Mokuba.

"Which leaves four remaining cards." Kozuki pulled a document out of his pocket. "Now, I happen to know the reigning King of Games is here, as I have already spoken to him, so Mutou-san, if you please?"

There was plenty of applause as Yugi went up and accepted the envelope.

"Now, the last set we wanted to give to last year's King - which as it happens was also Mutou-san - but we didn't want to give two sets to one person."

"I'll get them next year," Yugi grinned impishly.

"If I stay retired," Seto retorted.

"Be that as it may," Kozuki continued. "We calculated who the next most winning Duelist is, excluding Kaiba-sama himself of course, and we will be presenting the final set to Jounouchi Katsuya."

Again, there was a great deal of applause.

"Oh that is _perfect_!" Jou snarled under his breath. "I should have killed him when I had the chance."


	26. Piece 27

Chapter 26, Piece 27 * * * * * * * *

It was both 'just like always' and 'completely surreal'.

Staff - Japanese and local - bowed and called out good morning as they passed. Seto was like a kid trying to look at everything at once. It would have been adorable if he hadn't been in the LA terminal for KaibaAir close to a million times. Hell, he _designed_ it.

Mokuba gave his brother a tug. "Come on, big bro. We're already behind schedule."

"We have twenty-seven minutes before take off, sirs," Sato added.

Sato Rei was probably the world's most unflappable executive secretary. She had worked in Seto's office for as long as he'd had one. If it involved his brother, Sato knew about it. Period.

After the accident, the woman had run Seto's office without a hitch - as much as three months later, there were still people who didn't know Seto was out thanks to Sato's efficiency.

She came to see Seto when he woke up. She'd done a great job of being warm and friendly while learning firsthand that the executive for whom she'd slaved for years had no memory of her. But later, Mokuba had caught her wiping a few tears as she came out of the restroom. She didn't come back to the States until it was time to take Seto home.

Mokuba had always liked Sato. He'd had a crush on her when he was in high school, but outgrew it. She was one of the few people on Seto's staff who had always treated Mokuba as a future executive and not as a baby brother.

"Kaiba-sama." Sato made some notes on her tablet. "I have uploaded the KaibaAir file to your cloud. You should be able to review everything you wish to know on the plane."

"Really?" Seto smiled at her. "Thank you. I'm ready to leave, then. Where is Roland?"

"Here, sir," Roland answered from the flight gate. "We have the go ahead from LAX. This way, please."

Roland, like Tamora on Mokuba's staff, had started out as a bodyguard and grown into a majordomo. If Seto thought it, Roland was doing it before Seto could say it. It was Roland who'd stayed in Denver shuttling Seto between doctors, specialist, the reeducation center, and the hotel the Kaiba entourage was calling 'home'. He even helped chaperone the center's field trips when Seto went, meaning that Roland had more experience with Seto's injury type than anyone else on their staff.

They all boarded the private jet quickly, and took off on schedule.

Seto inhaled sharply as he stared out the window during their ascent. "Sato," he said calmly when the plane leveled. "I have a pilot's license, correct?"

"Yes, Kaiba-sama, however -"

"Please schedule relearning to fly as soon as possible."

With the ghost of a smile, she picked up her tablet. "Yes, Kaiba-sama."

After that, the flight was largely fifteen hours of sleep and dull conversation about corporate paperwork.

As they deplaned, however, Seto became anxious.

"Kaiba-sama?" Sato was the closest to him when he began to look lost at the arrival terminal gate.

"I -" His head seemed to almost swivel. "We should be over -" He stopped moving abruptly. "The signs are wrong! And the colors are - but I know this place!"

"We're in Tokyo International, sir," Roland said. "You've been here many times."

"No!" Seto was shaking. "Should be green!" He pointed at a wall, breathing heavily. An overhead announcement started and Seto yelled at the ceiling.

In German.

In the few seconds it took Mokuba to drop his bag and return to his brother's side, Seto was hyperventilating and wide-eyed with apparent panic.

"Nii-sama! Nii-sama! It's ok!" Mokuba tried to remain calm himself although he wanted to freak out as well.

Then Mokuba found himself abruptly torn away and shoved toward Sato. When he turned to attack, he saw Roland and Tamora expertly restraining his brother, and administering a tranquilizer. Seto sagged into Tamora's arms and Roland quickly - almost lovingly - swept Seto up in a princess carry. Tamora picked up the case Seto had been carrying and Mokuba's dropped bag.

"This way, Kaiba-san," Sato said quietly. "The car is waiting."

When Seto woke, several hours later, he bolted upright - dislodging the papers Mokuba was reading beside him.

"Where am I?"

"Easy, big bro." Mokuba took his brother by the shoulders. "We landed in Tokyo this afternoon; you've been out for about six hours. That's all."

Seto sagged. "Don't let them do that. Waking up from the drugs...it's too much like waking up the first time. Promise me -"

"I can't, big bro." Mokuba stroked his brother's cheek softly. "You had a panic attack at an airport. That's an issue for transit security, not just us."

"I did not have a panic attack," Seto bristled. "I was mentally overwhelmed."

"You were yelling at the announcement."

"It was in the wrong language." He seemed to realize how that sounded. "Or so it seemed at the time."

"Ok. It wasn't panic. So what happened?" Mokuba let him go and settled beside him.

Seto considered as he shifted to sit more comfortably, leaning back against the headboard "The room was - the room seemed to be transforming around me. I know that is not physically possible, yet, my mind was seeing the space in what felt like hundreds of configurations. But it was all in fragments; like puzzle pieces with no frame of reference."

"Any idea why the language was wrong?"

"None. I was absolutely certain that the 'piece' with tall blue seats belonged with German."

"Any idea what triggered it? I mean, you were fine at LAX."

"Not entirely. I was mentally comparing and contrasting the two gates. They share many details - but of course they would since much of the design is based on function. But as we passed through the doorway, I suddenly thought we were in the wrong place. I presumed it was simply anxiety and tried to find something to focus on but..." he shook his head. "The colors, the seating, even the gate desks. It was as if I were standing in every possible airport gate. My memories -"

"I'm a moron!" Mokuba smacked himself in the head. "Tokyo International has been remodeling for, like three years! The last time you saw it, it was under construction. Before that, it was this sick salmon color. They finished the new concourse tail end of last year, and everything is that steel blue. Which is the same color as the Wi-Fi lounge in Munich!"

"It has tall seating?"

"Perfect for web surfing while you wait for a late flight."

Seto looked thoughtful. "What about gray seating but very wide desks, all arranged to the left of their respective gates."

"Hmm. Another puzzle piece?" Seto nodded and Mokuba bit his lips. "Dulles, maybe? Don't know. I don't usually pay a lot of attention to that kind of stuff." He rolled his eyes. "Pretty much, the only thing I care about is are there any hot guys on staff."

"You'll have to update me on that list," Seto chuckled.

Mokuba looked surprised, then smiled. "Absolutely, Nii-sama. Absolutely. And, if that happens again, tell me. We'll see if we can't identify the pieces together."

"Agreed." He took a deep breath and looked around. "I was hoping my personal space had more personality than the hotel room in Denver. This has less than even the hospital room."

"Yeah," the younger man agreed. "It is pretty dull in here." He grinned. "But this is a guest room, not your room."

"Another hotel?"

"Nope; we're home. But we didn't know what triggered the attack, so we put you in a room with as little sensory input as possible."

"Anything less would be a white cube." Seto moved to get out of bed.

"Hey!" Mokuba stopped him. "Where do you -"

"I want to see my room. And the living room. And the fountain - do we have a fountain?"

"In the house?!"

"Never mind. If the piece doesn't match something, I'll write it down and we can review it later." He paused as cool air stroked his body. "I don't know about before, but today I have no compunctions regarding touring my home naked."

Mokuba snickered. "Yeah, that would be new. Can you stay put long enough for me to get your favorite yukata?"

"You have until the count of fifty," Seto allowed.

But as he opened the door to leave, Mokuba heard, "Five, ten, fifteen..."


	27. Piece 07

Chapter 27, Piece 7 * * * * * * * *

Although it was another two hours to finish, it did go much faster with Jounouchi's help. And the manta ray feeding must have been exceptionally long because the others seemed to vanish.

Finally, Kaiba disconnected the last cord and closed the terminal's housing.

"I believe we are done," he said, satisfied. "Pick something at random. I want to be sure it's online. I can't tell you how often a second tech must go to a site because the first tech neglected to user test the system."

"Yeah, we had to pay for two service calls for cable one time 'cause the idiot didn't wire the jack he installed."

"Paid twice? You should have cancelled the contract and sued."

"Wasn't an option at the time," Jou chuckled. "I slashed his tires. He was stuck 'til midnight."

Kaiba considered it, then nodded. "Acceptable." He called up a hologram and watched a nurse shark swim around the room.

Jou smirked. "Not too thug life?"

The executive replied with a smirk of his own. "You forget. I wasn't always a shark. The best predators were once prey themselves. Now, I must go let the curator know I've finished. I presume you intend to find the rest of your pack?" He tried to sound nonchalant.

"Will you kill it with the 'dog' comments!" Jou snapped.

"Surely 'pack' is better than 'gang'." Kaiba looked irritated. "No harm was intended."

"Man, I cannot get a handle on you!" Jou shook his head. "One minute you're the ice prince, the next you're halfway human!"

"I'm not sure which of those I am meant to take offence from. Neither is complementary." He exhaled. "Regardless. I'm sure you have things to do." He nodded and headed for the administrative offices.

"Not really." Jou followed him. "The guys left like an hour ago." He showed his cell phone. "Text. I could catch up with them, but I figured after you were done, I'd tour this place on my own."

Kaiba studied at Jou for a moment as they rode the elevator. This might be his only opportunity to spend a day alone with the popular blond. "I was planning to tour the facility myself. I would understand completely, however, if you wished to be alone."

"I've never wished that in my life!" Jou grinned. "And for the record, 'half-human' is the complement."

"Is it?"

"Compared to other stuff I've called you? Oh yeah!"


	28. Piece 22

Chapter 28, Piece 22 * * * * * * * *

"Good morning, Mrs. Ellis." Honda bowed politely. "Is Fred home?"

The older woman bobbed her head in response. "Good morning, Mr. - uh - Toyota?" she asked hopefully.

"Honda," he laughed. At least it was a Japanese car this time.

She waved off the error as she moved out of the doorway. "Oh I give up! You boys and your code names." She chuckled and shook her head, slowly making her way into the house. "I just can't keep up with you. Freddy's in the basement, as usual. Probably drawing pictures of naked boys again. I don't know what's wrong with that boy." She paused and looked at Honda. "You seem like a nice young man, Mr. - eh..." She looked confused and somewhat apologetic. "I'm sorry, but I just don't have the memory I used to. Would it be okay if I just called you Mr. Car?"

He started to tell her his first name, but decided that 'Hiro' would likely be even more troublesome. "Yes, ma'am. That would be just fine. If you'll excuse me, I'll go check on -"

"Grammy!" A voice from the floorboards cut him off. "Honda's gonna come by this week. Tell him I'm not home!"

"That boy!" she muttered, shaking her head. She started to speak but Honda touched her arm placed a finger to his lips. She rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to start telling lies for you," she yelled back. "I'd put him out," she told Honda, "but I promised my Sally I'd take care of her boy."

"You do a fine job." Honda bowed. "Excuse me." He hurried to the temporary refuge of the basement stairs.

Freddy was an online artist Yugi had found. Most of his website was dedicated to fanart of American comic book superheroes in yaoi situations. But somewhere, Yugi found some of Freddy's original art and began corresponding with him.

Freddy was basically a shut in. His only contacts with the outside world were on the web and his grandmother. Yugi convinced the guy that a story based on the couple in the pictures would be perfect for Half-Hearted.

In his basement fortress, Freddy had everything. State-of-the-art computer, scanner, professional grade pens. And when he was working, he was the fastest artist they had. But sometimes he'd get distracted. And when he did, nothing got done.

So, Honda had started dropping by Freddy's house a week or so before his deadline. Just to be sure all was on schedule. When Freddy was working, he was annoyed by Honda's interruption.

When he wasn't, he tried to hide.

"Grammy! I told you not to come down here..." Freddy huffed but stopped as soon as he realized who it was.

"Hey, Ellis!" Honda called out. "How's it going?"

"Fine! Hey, Grammy was about to make lunch. Wanna have lunch with us? Grammy!" he yelled.

"I do not want lunch!" Honda growled. "I want finished pages!"

"I finished! I finished!" Freddy scurried over to his art table and Honda had to bite his cheek to keep from snickering. "Here!" Freddy handed him a stack of pages.

Big, muscular men, wearing spandex. Fighting evil and preserving justice. Except, of course, that most of the heroes were secretly fucking most of the villains. Both the sex and the violence were graphic. For Honda, it was one of their most disturbing series, because frequently some panel of horrific bloodshed was right next to some incredibly hot, hardcore sex.

The story stopped abruptly on page ten.

Honda tried to imitate the cool menace of Takeshi Kitano in any Yakuza movie. "Ellis. How many pages is an episode?"

"Uh. Twenty or so." He squirmed.

"How many pages am I holding?"

"Uh. I - I'm not really su-"

"Ten."

"- oh."

"Does that sound like finished to you?"

"Well, yeah, no, but see here's -"

"So ten pages is not a complete episode." Now what, Honda wondered. Freddy was usually an all-or-nothing guy; crashing mid-way through was more like Eric.

"Well, no, but, see here's the thing..."

Honda gave the artist a moment, then prodded. "Go on."

"I can't finish it. It's fucked."

"What does that mean?"

"The story. It's fucked. I can't finish it."

"Not following you." Plot problems were Yugi's area, Honda thought to himself. I handle motivation and collection.

"Okay." Freddy actually showed some life and grabbed the pages. He spread them across his work table. "Valorous just broke things off with TerrorMaster and is free to stop Evilla from opening the time portal."

"I saw that."

"To do that, he needs Ink to recreate the twelve symbols of the universe. And Dragon Lord has to hold off Evilla's army."

"Ok. So?"

"So!? Last episode, Dragon Lord was suborned by Evilla's sex toy collection. Last we saw him, he was being pierced with vibrating rings and plugs. He's completely under Evilla's control! And Ink only was able to absorb ten of the symbols before he had to rescue SpectralBoy."

"I remember that." Honda shrugged. "He saw the last two before they faded. He can just draw them from memory. He does that all the time."

"IF he and SpectralBoy can get there in time, and IF he draws them precisely. Usually he doesn't have to be precise. I've already stated that the symbols have to be exact."

"So just get them there in time."

"How?"

"I don't know! You're the writer!"

Freddy huffed and picked up several issues of Half-Hearted. "I've been going over it for days! In episode 6, it clearly states that Evilla hides her time portal in a fold of light. That's why Valorous and SpectralBoy can get there; they can travel through the light waves."

"Ok."

"But SpectralBoy _lost_ that ability when he and Ink started having their affair."

"Ah." Honda was beginning to get the idea. "So how does Valorous manage to save the day?"

Freddy gave him a confused look. "He doesn't! I told you - the story's fucked. Valorous doesn't have the speed or the tools to stop the portal from recreating history. I've been trying for days! There is no way for him to fight the army and Evilla. And even if he could, he can't close the portal without the symbols! The hero loses."

"Oh." Honda thought about it for a moment. "Wow. Ok, so where is it?"

Freddy looked more confused. "Where is what?"

"The rest of the story."

"What story? Did you hear me? Valorous cannot win! The hero flat, game over, Cheezburger Network meme FAILS!" Freddy screamed, causing Honda to take a step back. "HEROES DON'T FAIL!"

"Yeah, they do." Honda said, trying to stay way calmer than he felt. "Heroes fail all the time, but they don't stop trying."

"Superman doesn't fail!"

"If Superman were perfect, he wouldn't need Batguy and Wonder Woman and all the rest." Freddy started to speak, but Honda went on. "When Yugi faced Marik at Battle City -"

"A common card game duel is not the same as saving the world."

Honda started to protest, thought better of it, and tried another tack. "Ok. Valorous fails, and the portal opens. What then?"

"What then?! Oh, nothing. Only the entire rewriting of the history of the planet!"

"Rewriting?" Honda snapped his fingers. "So then, you could rewrite the whole story arc, right? Have Valorous somehow protected from the change, and then he could stop SpectralBoy from having the affair and warn Dragon Lord about Evilla's sex trap."

Freddy's expression went from frustrated anger to blank. Then, he seemed to consider something. He bit his thumb. "No, that's going to happen anyway. Earlier. Dragon Lord is - used to be Evilla's General. So I could give him that implant I was working on." He stacked the finished pages and handed them to Honda. "You can take these. I don't need them. Ink could work for TerrorMaster and switch sides." He seemed to be talking more to himself more than Honda.

Honda left as Freddy pulled out a clean sheet of paper. Motivation and collection, that was enough. Yugi and Otogi could handle the hard stuff.


	29. Piece 44

Chapter 29, Piece 44 * * * * * * * *

"With this new, true partnership, we will also be formally changing both our corporate logo and our corporate footprint. Seto and I have been working towards this for a long time. On Monday, we will send out the official press release. But tonight, you all get a sneak preview. Seto?" Mokuba gestured his brother forward and stepped back.

"Thank you, Mokuba." Seto waited for the applause to die down. "Such a warm welcome from people who's market share is about to fall." Seto's grin was almost playful as they all laughed.

"You're right, he did change." Jou leaned over to Anzu with a sneer. "Asshole's ego definitely got bigger."

"KaibaCorp is many things," Seto went on. "Some of those parts are wholly unlike other parts. Like my brother and I, these parts are interrelated, but they deserve independent focus. We will still be known as KaibaCorp." He clicked a remote. "But we will be more."

The lights dimmed and a screen lowered. The image of the KaibaCorp blue-eyes-white-dragon appeared.

"KaibaManagement will oversee our business services. Accounting, Human Resources, Training, and Operations consulting. The goal will be to make our clients the best at whatever they are."

He clicked the remote. The white dragon shrank and faded into the center of the screen. A red-eyes-black-dragon replaced it.

"Kaiba Gozaburo had a true passion for his craft, and so KaibaArms will continue the legacy to which he dedicated his life."

The black dragon faded to be replaced by a metallic red dragon with glittering white eyes.

"This is the logo for KaibaTech. It will include all of our computer hardware and software solutions for business, education, and medical applications."

The screen changed again. This time the dragon was cobalt blue with black eyes.

"And finally we have KaibaEntertainment. Games, videos, music," he gestured toward the Half-Hearted group, "manga. Whatever catches our fancy, I want to give it life."

The fourth dragon faded.

"KaibaCorp is much like the Kaiba brothers," Seto continued. "The four entities will work together and stand alone. Brothers guide each other..." the white dragon reemerged, "...protect each other..." the black dragon appeared, "...support each other..." the red dragon joined them, "...and bring each other joy."

The blue dragon completed the set. The four dragons merged into one unit, never quite losing their unique details, but each seeming to fit perfectly with the others.

"Welcome to the new KaibaCorp," Seto declared over the roaring crowd.


	30. Piece 23

Chapter 30, Piece 23 * * * * * * * *

"Good to see you," Mokuba said. He glanced around at nothing in particular. "You look good."

"You look exhausted," Yugi said, hugging his friend. "Let's go in, have some coffee. Okay?"

Mokuba hesitated, then looked at his watch. "I don't really have a lot of time."

"KaibaCorp will not fold because you took a two hour lunch. And if it does, you can blame me." Yugi grinned. "Your brother always did anyway!"

Mokuba couldn't resist the laugh.

"So." Yugi waited until they had lunch in front of them before asking what they both knew was coming. "How is he?"

"Uh, he's good. He's good."

"Good. Really." Yugi was the only one outside of Seto's direct staff who knew how extensive his accident had been. "That's good, right?"

"Right." Mokuba sighed heavily, then brightened almost immediately. "He passed the high school equivalency exam last week! Almost six years of school; he covered it in a year."

"Wow! That's impressive! So his memories are coming back?"

"No, not really. He just re-learned it all. Or, he and the neurologist say he re-learned how to access the info. Education-wise, he's probably going to pass where he was. His behavior is maturing. Somewhat."

"Somewhat?"

"Half the time he acts like an adult; half the time he acts 15. Imagine a 15-year-old computer genius with virtually unlimited resources and lots of free time."

"I don't need to imagine one," Yugi chuckled. "I knew two of them."

"Funny. He wasn't as bad as I was, and I wasn't even capable of the shit he pulls now. He got put out of the reeducation center."

"What! Why?"

"Distributing pornography to minors." Yugi's jaw dropped. "He reprogrammed all the video games so that when you reach a game achievement, the NPCs take off an article of clothing. By the end of the game, everyone is naked."

Yugi choked on his coffee trying to control the laugh. "Ok, but it's a prank. Not a Kaiba-kun prank, but harmless, right?"

"Not 'a' game, Yugi, every computer game in the building. And he re-encrypted the software. It was cheaper to buy the center all new stuff because Seto refused to tell anyone the password and no one else could hack into it." Mokuba shook his head. "Just to keep him busy, I gave the education software projects to him. He's working from home until he can act his age."

"When did he ever? He used to act too old." Yugi shrugged. "Maybe too young is a good thing."

"Maybe." Mokuba looked uncomfortable. "Maybe."

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Really?" Yugi smiled sadly. "You still think I don't understand?"

Mokuba's shoulders slumped. "It's not that. Or, well, it's not just that. I know you get it about Noa."

"'Togi says we're both in love with dead guys, so we should date each other."

"Otogi says a lot of dumb shit." Yugi nodded and Mokuba sighed again. "Which might be the most insensitive thing I've said this week."

"I'm glad you said it, actually, since it's almost the same thing I said." Yugi let a moment go by. "So what is it?"

"It's... It's nothing, really. I worry about Seto's memory. I mean, what if it never comes back? He doesn't know how to be the older brother any more and it drives him crazy! He tried to get me banned from working after sunset."

"You do work too much."

"I still don't work the hours he did! All he wants to do now is have fun. At least he still considers R&D fun." He paused again. "He's not the same guy."

"He's still your brother. He still loves you."

"That's not... When Gozaburo died, I was terrified. I tried not to show it; I was pretty messed up in the head back then. But Seto was under-age, and I was scared that child services was going to come in and take me away. Seto sat up with me all night one night and just held me. He said that even if that did happen - and he would empty the Kaiba armory on anyone that tried - but if something happened and we were no longer together, I would be ok. He said the life I had lived, the trials I'd overcome, made me strong enough to survive anything. I know you guys think he was a dick most of the time, but Seto had a reason to be proud of himself. Proud of the life he survived. This guy - this is Seto without Gozaburo, without the orphanage, or our family."

Yugi nodded, understanding. "You don't want him to lose everything that made him 'him'."

Mokuba looked down. "Last week, Seto spent a small fortune finding a forensic police artist who would take a private commission. You know why? Because he wanted to commission a portrait of our parents. He said that since there was a chance that his missing memories could wipe out his current memories, it was worth the cost to capture the images while we could." He pulled out his wallet, and showed Yugi a photo. "Digital recreation. Those are my parents, Yugi. This guy gave me back my parents."

"Oh - wow." Yugi found himself near tears looking at the picture he knew had so much meaning.

"This guy is my brother without all the abuse and hardship and shit that broke his heart in the first place. Yugi, I don't want him to remember a damn thing! If he stays 15 forever, I'd rather be his father than see his heart close again." Mokuba dropped his head in his hands. "And Seto hates it! He's doing everything he can to unlock those memories! I'm trying to help him, but every detail that slips in, every step to make him better is killing me!"

"Mokie -"

"Am I a bad brother, Yugi? Am I wrong for just wanting him to be happy?"


	31. Piece 08

Chapter 31, Piece 8 * * * * * * * *

The aquarium was crowded, which gave them time to move slowly from exhibit to exhibit. Conversation was awkward when it wasn't about the fish swimming in front of them.

Kaiba found that he had no idea how to broach the subject of them being friends, much less a more intimate relationship. Nothing in his life had prepared him for asking someone out. And it was quickly becoming evident by the way Jounouchi was looking at everything but him, that the blond was not interested in Kaiba.

Jou, for his part, was finding it harder and harder to look at Kaiba and not think about seeing him naked. Moneybags would kill him if he knew. And there wasn't any point in remembering it. Kaiba was probably arrow straight. Besides, he was being even less social than usual; even if Kaiba was bi, he wouldn't look twice at a 'mutt' like Jou.

Eventually, they went back to the inn.

"Kaiba-sama?" The innkeeper called out. "This fax arrived for you."

"Thank you." He took the papers and studied them, frowning. "This is not what I agreed to. Innkeep, may I use your office again?"

"Of course..."

Kaiba was walking away before the woman could agree and she hurried to keep up with him.

"Great spendin' a day with you too," Jou snarked. "Gotta do it again some never."

"Jou!" Honda came up behind his friend and dropped an arm around his shoulder. "Where you been? You didn't get stuck with Kaiba all day, did you?"

"Coulda been worse," Jou sighed.

"Man! Your day must have reeked! Come on! We got one of the baths to ourselves." Honda leaned closer. "And Bakura scored a bottle of sake!" he whispered.

"Yeah, I could totally go for some of that!"


	32. Piece 24

Chapter 32, Piece 24 * * * * * * * *

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Yugi asked. "It's your car."

"Do you have another option?" Otogi replied. "Your grandfather can't, my father won't. None of us can get any credit. The car's free and clear. We'll get the money and go straight to the printer."

"Ryuji, it's your car," Yugi repeated. "If we miss the payments, they'll take your car."

"So we just won't miss a payment."

Yugi looked miserable. "Maybe-"

"Maybe we're out of 'maybes'. This should give us six months, and if we really do have an audience out there, it will last even longer." Otogi reached across his friend and grabbed the car's title from the glove box. "Go big or go home. Didn't Yami always play to win?"

"Yami wouldn't have sold someone else's chariot," Yugi sighed as they both got out of the car.

It was frightening how quick, easy, and friendly the loan service was. The nice man helped them complete the paperwork, while the pretty lady verified the title and the insurance. The interest and fees were Yakuza-level high. Far faster than Yugi expected, they were leaving, funds deposited instantly.

"We'll get it back." Yugi's jaw was set. "I promise. We will get your car back. This will work, I know it will."


	33. Piece 45

Chapter 33, Piece #45 * * * * * * * *

Seto and Mokuba circulated around the room, shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries. Really, though, Seto's attention was on his beautiful blonde.

Seto had been surprised and thrilled that the number three duelist was his soon-to-be love. The man had swaggered onto the stage, taken the cards with a slight sneer, glanced at the Egyptian art, and had virtually ignored Seto.

"Mokie, are you sure I never kissed him?" Seto asked as they moved from one group to the next. "I could definitely see myself kissing him."

"Nii-sama, you only spoke to him when you couldn't avoid it. Jou's a nice guy, but he's kind of, well, common."

"He looks like some European lord."

Mokuba snickered. "He's not." He suddenly cleared his throat as the French Minister of Trade and her daughter approached. "Madam, mademoiselle! Seto, te souviens-tu Madam et Mademoiselle Godwin?"

"Mais oui!" Seto replied, having no idea who the two women before him were. "Comment allez-vous?"

They spoke to what seemed like too many people in too many languages; CEO's from Germany and Russia, a Swiss banker and his wife, and a flurry of other boot-lickers that he cared nothing about. There was even a Saudi Prince and his entourage to round out the set!

"Is it just me," Mokuba remarked as the evening wound down, "or were you speaking Arabic?"

"I didn't before?" Seto looked surprised. "Papa taught us a few phrases. When I couldn't remember more than that, I just assumed it was part of the loss, and added it to my language studies."

"I looked at Arabic for about a minute." Mokuba shook his head. "I thought my brain would explode. I didn't know our dad was an Arab."

"Egyptian by birth, but his family immigrated when he was young. He used to say the only thing he really remembered was the sand. We'll work on the language together. How much more of this do we have? If I haven't kissed him, I want to rectify that lapse." Seto glanced around for the beautiful blonde. "And if I have, I'm anxious to repeat it."

"Nii-sama." Mokuba turned to face him. "Look, I'm all for you burying the hatchet with Jounouchi, but dating him is... Stupid. Sorry, that's the only word."

"Since when is dating stupid?"

"Not dating - I'd be thrilled to see you fall in love. But Jou's just not made for our world. Look at him tonight; he doesn't own a suit, couldn't even find a collared shirt and tie. No manners; he's fine with the gaming people, but he can't talk to anyone else in the room! He's a mutt! I love him - as a friend. But I don't want to see you make yourself - and him - miserable trying to make him something he's not."

"Did I raise you to be so shallow? Is money how you judge people?"

"Seto-"

"Did I raise you to believe that money was how you judge character?"

Mokuba rolled his eyes. "No, nii-sama. Money is the fuel, not the measure. A man with money will go further than a man without, but that doesn't mean he's a better man." He smiled despite himself. "You used to remind me that the only difference between the orphanage and Kaiba manor was the cost to keep them."

"Good. Glad to see I did something right. You said you liked Jounouchi."

"He's a great guy! Resourceful as hell. Funny, loyal. Can throw a punch and take one. And smart too, just not super educated like us."

"In short, he's a good man."

"Yes. He's a good man. But he's also a man you spent a lot of years irritating."

"Tonight this room was full of enemies who are now allies. I'll win him. Trust me."


	34. Piece 31

Hi all! Some of you may notice a change in a few chapter titles. None of the text is changed, but I discovered that one of my files was mislabeled. It made no difference if you read the story in chapter order because the chapters are out of sequence. But, if you read the story in Piece order, the error created a small spoiler. It's fixed now.

I hope the three people reading this in Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Spain are enjoying it. I think you might be my only fans! If anyone else is out there, just a reminder that comments keep writers motivated. Even one word let's me know your reading with me. I won't hold posting hostage to reviews, however; this story, I post the next chapter every time I see activity on the last chapter.

Ok, that's all for now! Later! SJ

* * *

Chapter 34, Piece 31 * * * * * * * *

I woke up in a cold sweat. Again. That was a bad night, but not the worst. On the worst, I literally woke up screaming loud enough to wake the house.

When asked, I claimed that I could never remember the actual dreams; the doctors told me the condition was called 'night terrors' and eventually it would go away.

As a point of fact, I do remember the dreams - at least the general storyline. The doctors mean well, but there are some things that should not be shared.

Especially with my brother.

So long as Mokuba was part of my medical team, there would be some issues I would have to resolve on my own. I was confident that there was nothing in my own mind that I could not come to terms with. Eventually.

The dreams were one of those issues. They were vague, more impressions and emotions than images. They seemed to involve sexual, physical and emotional abuse. My brother already had too much exposure to my traumas. He didn't need further guilt. There's nothing he could have done about the abuses I suffered, and even less he could do about the memory fragments floating in my head.

In the dreams, I was usually cowering on the floor. Usually, someone was yelling. Sometimes they told me to stop crying, to enjoy what was happening. Sometimes they threatened to beat me, to kill me. Other times, they told me I was stupid and worthless, useless. On bad nights, I knew I was being violated - although I could never clearly see how - and I hated myself for allowing it to happen.

Some nights it was worse - I did enjoy it. Moreover, I wanted it. A sexual fantasy seemed to be somehow entwined with the abuse and I was ashamed of my body's betrayal.

On the worst nights, I was the violator. I was the one yelling cruel words. I was the villain in my own nightmares.

From what Mokuba had told me, and from the lack of friends in my life, I gathered that it was more likely that I was the villain. Apart from a few charitable gifts, I could not find any sign of kindness in the man I had been. That frightened me. Papa had been very kind. He believed a man should be judged by how kind he was.

Was I a man Papa would have liked?

I didn't think so, and as much as the dreams scared me at night, the idea that Papa would have been disappointed in me terrified me by day.

I got up and washed my face. The dream was beginning to fade, leaving only the feeling that I deserved to be punished and the frustration of not understanding why.

I need to understand why, I determined. I looked at myself in the mirror. Who was this man? Was he the perfect brother Mokuba described? The victim I see in my dreams? The ruthless businessman I read about in the press? All of them? None?

Mokuba had told me everything he could. I needed to find someone who knew me before the accident - preferably someone my own age. The obvious answer was Mokuba's friend Mutou-kun.

Mutou and the staff of his manga apparently went to school with me. We weren't close, but they must have known something about me. I needed to find a way to spend time with them.

And I needed to go on a date. Part of what made the dreams so distressing was not knowing my own sexuality. Maybe if I had a positive sexual experience, I would be able to tease apart the memories from the trauma.

And maybe get some sleep.


	35. Piece 09

Chapter 35, Piece 9 * * * * * * * *

In the middle of the night, Kaiba sat up. Sleep wasn't coming. Jounouchi, on the other hand, was sleeping soundly. Ambient light from outside allowed Kaiba to see his peaceful face.

"You don't believe I'm captivated by you, you don't believe you're extraordinary. If I said I loved you would you believe that?" He sighed. He watched Jounouchi sleep for a while.

His lips looked soft. Moist. Kissable. One kiss. He was asleep. He would never know. And it wouldn't count - it would be stolen. No one would ever know. One more secret. What's one more with all the secrets in the House of Kaiba?

Uncle kept far more than a single kiss secret. Those 'kisses' would have been much better with Jounouchi. And in fairness, Uncle hadn't lied; it did stop hurting. Eventually. He was bigger now. Maybe it wouldn't hurt at all. Maybe he could share those kinds of 'kisses' with Jou.

Was this sexual desire? Kaiba had not seemed to suffer from the same blind hormonal irrationalities that his age mates constantly seemed to suffer. He didn't long for anyone, he didn't harbor any fetish, he never masturbated. In general, that had been a benefit. In truth, Kaiba had already begun investigating the possibility that he was genuinely asexual. Uncle had thought so, with Kaiba's consistent lack of sexual response. But what he was experiencing now, and his clear arousal toward Jou, dispelled that idea. Kaiba could scarcely breathe at the mere thought of touching Jounouchi.

It was the middle of the night. Everyone was asleep. No one would know. Kaiba moved before he could think better of the idea.

His lips connected to Jou's almost before he knew it.

They were soft. And warm. Pliable. They opened easily when Kaiba probed with his tongue. Jou moaned softly in his sleep.

The sound was like an electric current pulsing through Kaiba's nerves in a way that nothing had ever done before. He couldn't think, couldn't do anything but quiver. He had, of course, read about orgasms. He'd helped his uncle have many. But that had not prepared him to feel one.

More, he thought, I want more.

His robe was in the way, as were Jounouchi's shorts. Kaiba moved closer. So close that their bodies were touching, skin to skin. Jounouchi moaned again. Kaiba felt the vibration through their lips and the points where their bodies connected - their nipples, their abdomens, their shafts.

Uncle's shaft was always stiff before they started, so Kaiba had never had to prepare him; although he had heard the process alluded to, he'd never done it. Jounouchi's shaft seemed only partially stiffened. Kaiba felt yet another thrill as he slid his hand over Jou's hip and around the boy's round butt. Jounouchi's shaft jumped against Kaiba's and this time it was he who moaned into their kiss.


	36. Piece 46

Chapter 36, Piece 46 * * * * * * * *

Roland opened the door to an elegant lounge. "Kaiba-sama and Kaiba-san will join you shortly," he said as the staff of Half-Hearted Mangazine entered. "May I get you anything while you wait?"

"A baseball bat," Jounouchi muttered.

"We're fine!" Yugi said brightly. "Thank you."

Roland bowed and left.

Jounouchi punched the wall. It left a large dent.

"Jou!" Everyone in the group was surprised, but Honda was close enough to grab him before he hit it again. "What the hell, dude?"

"He stole my shot!" Jounouchi tore away from his friend and hit the wall a second time. "That sonovabitch stole it!"

"What?" Several people cried out at once.

"Jou, calm down!" Yugi stepped in front of the wall. "Simple sentences. Who stole what?"

"Fucking Kaiba stole my fucking sketch pad!"

"Your sketch pad?" Bakura's brow furrowed. "When could he have even done that?"

But Yugi's eyes flew open wide. "The class trip! That missing pad? You think he took it with him?"

"What class trip?" Honda

"Third year?" Bakura asked. "That was, what, almost ten years ago? Even if he did take it, why would he have it now?"

"'Cause he's an asshole, and he probably thinks I forgot, or that I wouldn't know my own damn art, or some bullshit like that!"

"Wait, wait!" Eric stepped over to Jounouchi. "Joey, put that in some perspective. This guy is worldwide. I mean, yeah, nobody likes to see their art swiped, but why would he do that? It's probably just a coincidence."

"And if it was just the two dragons, I'd be pissed, but I'd deal," Jounouchi agreed. "But the damn logo - that is MINE! I was never able to get it right a second time, but I know my work when I see it."

"Okay," Mokuba said, surprising the whole group, as he stepped into the room. "Give me one reason to believe those dragons are yours, not my brother's."

"Sketch pad has a drawing of a red-eyes-black on the inside cover. How I signed all my books."

Mokuba shrugged, pulled out his phone, and speed dialed someone. "Yeah, that Artist's Contract I had you file? Pull it and everything related to the logo. The artist is Jounouchi. Yeah, that Jounouchi. Oh. Hang on." Mokuba looked at Jounouchi. "Check or wire?"

"...what?" Jounouchi seemed more than a bit stunned.

"I've seen Seto's art my whole life. His dragons never have that much detail - he always leaves that for the art department. It could have been his, but I figured someone might be able to prove a claim, so I wrote up a standard contract, just in case." He went back to the phone. "Send it to Half-Hearted's account. Jou can square up with them later. Mail a copy of the deal to Jou's home address." He hung up the phone. "Done."

"You must really think I'm stupid," Jounouchi smirked. "Where is he? If either of you think I'm accepting some half assed payoff after he stole my one shot at being a professional artist -"

"Jou! Chill!" Mokuba smiled, every bit the business man. "The contract is, of course, negotiable. Think of the wire as a good faith payment. And that couldn't have been your only shot because you are an artist now, aren't you?"

Jounouchi laughed. "You think this is paying the rent? I'm an artist when I'm not a waiter."

"Well, if your rent's not too high, you should be okay."

"Yeah? What's good faith?"

"Two-hundred thousand. US. I figured on what we would have paid for the R&D at a top level marketing firm."

"Hold up," Eric seemed to recover from the shock before anyone else. "You just wired Joey two-hundred thousand dollars?"

"Bank should be open in Denver, so yeah."

Otogi pulled out his phone and began typing. After a moment he gasped. "Oh. My. God. Mokie-kun, someone did a serious typo. Jou's money is there, but there's also a million dollar credit. And I am not exaggerating. KaibaCorp deposited an actual -"

"Seto said a year's worth of issues. So that's salary, facilities, supplies, production. Enough for Half-Hearted to grow."

"Mokuba," Yugi crossed the room to him. "That's way more than we could possibly need."

"And way less than the number I was arguing for. I wanted to include international travel." Mokuba's smile warmed. "Seto and I owe you a lot, Yugi, let us do this."

"Yay, warm an' fuzzy." Jounouchi said in a distinctly cold voice. "None of that explains why your asshole brother stole my pad in the first place. What, was he trying to get back at me 'cause I told his skinny ass to get bent?"

"Jou, quit saying he stole it," Mokuba huffed. "In the first place, he's never stolen a damn thing, and in the second, even if he did for some insane reason steal anything of yours, he has no clue that he did it, so there's no point in bringing it up." Mokuba tilted his head curiously. "And what do you mean, get back at you? For what?"

"He knows. Trust me, he didn't forget that."

"I didn't forget what?" Seto asked, entering the room with Anzu. "It would be nice to remember something."

"Remember where you got my dragons!" Jounouchi snapped.

"The blue and red are yours?" Seto smiled. He handed Anzu the envelope he was holding. "Beautiful and talented. Extraordinary. I found them in some of my personal effects that were in storage. I knew when I saw you that you were special." Seto crossed the room. "After the accident, I lost a lot." He took Jounouchi's hand before the man realized he was going to. "I hope we can fill in the missing details together." Seto's eyes met Jounouchi's.

"Brown eyes." His smile faded, replaced by an expression of confused panic. "Brown eyes."


	37. Piece 18

Chapter 37, Piece 18 * * * * * * * *

There was a knock on the office door. A rare thing.

"It's open!" Yugi yelled.

"It's just me." Eric carried a thick envelope and a shy smile. "Honda here?"

"Gone to check on the new guy." Yugi shook his head. "Should be back in a couple hours."

"Oh." Eric stood uncomfortably. "Ah."

"Oh, hey! Ryou-kun sent me a box of British teas. You want to try some?"

"Uh, sure."

Yugi looked at the man and grinned. "You know, I'm just good at games. I'm not a superhero or famous or something."

Eric laughed, a faint blush just visible under his mocha skin. "Yeah, I know."

Yugi got up from the desk and went to the kitchen. "Forgive the mess, I haven't had a minute to clean."

"I just assumed the maid had the day off."

"What?" Then Yugi got the joke and laughed. "Yeah! That too!" He opened the cabinet. "So, what brings you down here? I don't get much excitement in the cave."

"The cave?"

"Yeah. I feel like a bear. From the day we go to the printer to the day you guys start sending in finished pages, I get to go out in the sun. Then, winter comes and I have to practically hibernate and do nothing but layout and edit word bubbles."

Eric nodded. "I know the feeling. I must be in Australia - spring begins when I deliver my pages."

"Speaking of," Yugi gestured to the envelope, "you're way early. You're not due for almost two weeks."

"Oh. This." Eric looked at the envelope like it was a rattlesnake. "This - it's - this is - nothing! This is nothing. Some sketches. Vague idea... I, uh-"

"Something new?" Yugi had to almost climb the counter to pull two mugs from the upper shelf. "Got to run the dishwasher tonight," he muttered. "I wanna see!" he said brightly. "You have a great imagination."

"Oh - uh - no - uh - these - these - uh - not really ready -"

"You were going to show Honda, right?"

"I maybe kinda -" Eric stammered, as Yugi carried the two tea cups to a drafting table. "I don't think you wanna -"

"Are you kidding?" Yugi cleared some space and pulled over a second chair. "Why do you think I started this? I love this stuff!" Firmly, he took the envelope. "I'm going to see it eventually, I may as well see it raw."

The drawings were not raw. The story was a finished product, and long enough for several issues. The story was pure romance, a sweet almost standard opposites attract love story. The art was far more explicit than Eric's usual work, but it fit the tone of the plot well. The uke was an African-American designer, the seme was a Japanese executive. A short, Japanese executive. With wild hair. Yugi finished the whole piece before he turned to face Eric.

Eric had finally stopped stammering and pacing, and sat on the couch until Yugi finished.

"Wow," Yugi said simply.

Eric shrugged, but didn't look at him.

"It moves well. The characters are believable. It's funny, sweet, sexy." He sipped his cold tea. "So is that how you see me or how you want to see me?"

"I... I don't-"

"Stop. We should talk about it. I'm not offended. I'm embarrassed." He grinned. "And flattered. I'm more like your uke in reality," he laughed. "But I'm not available. I'm still in love with Atemu."

"I thought -" Eric stopped abruptly.

"Atemu is in the Afterlife. Yes. He crossed over when we were in high school. About eight years ago. I'm not over it."

"Don't you think he'd want you to move on?"

Yugi laughed. "My yami? No. If he could have, he'd have taken me with him. He believed in eternity. Even death is only a new beginning." Yugi took another swallow. "If he could have taken me, I would have gone. I'd go tomorrow if I could find the shadow path."

"I don't believe you'd commit suicide over -"

"Suicide!? No!" Yugi looked repulsed. "No, the Afterlife, not death. If he were dead, I could resurrect him. That spell I found."

"What?"

Yugi grinned. "Nothing. Part of a legend. Don't mind me. My point is, that if Atemu's ghost walked through that door and told me to follow him, I wouldn't even stop to get my keys." He leaned forward. "And I don't want anyone sitting here hoping I'll come back."

"Ok, nothing serious. Just friends."

"With benefits?" Yugi snickered. "Why do you think I go back home every time I can? Ryou and I relieve each other."

"I thought Otogi said you were going out with that executive."

"Mokuba?" Yugi rolled his eyes. "Otogi-kun sees everything as sex. Mokuba is the younger brother of one of our high school classmates. I mean, he's not a kid anymore but, yeah, that's kinda like doing my baby brother."

"Ah."

"Besides, Mokuba has his own drama. Kind of a long distance, Romeo and Juliet sort of thing. Him, I feel sorry for." Yugi stood up and stretched. "The story's good. Let's split it into four issues. Oh, but change the seme's name. I will never hear the end of it if we keep 'Yuji'."


	38. Piece 10

Chapter 38, Piece 10 * * * * * * * *

The dreams usually took place at school. Kaiba catches him alone in the classroom. They do a little name calling, getting closer and closer until Jou can smell the high priced cologne Kaiba always wears. In the dreams, it was so clear they wanted each other. The argument was foreplay. Jou was never sure in the dreams who moved first, only that suddenly they'd be kissing and clawing each other's clothes off. Tonight, even though they were in class, Kaiba wore only a yukata, with perfect smooth skin and nothing else under it. Kissing. Groping. Rubbing. Moaning.

Moaning?

Would Kaiba moan? Jou couldn't imagine that. Kaiba wouldn't moan. But someone was...moaning...rubbing...kissing... Groping?

"Mmmh!?" Jounouchi woke with a start. "What the -? Get the fuck off me!" He shoved, sending the unprepared Kaiba sliding a foot or two. "Who the hell?" He turned on the light. "Kaiba?" Fairly quickly he took in their mutual states of semi-dress, their mutual arousals. He touched his fingers to his slightly swollen lips.

He had been dreaming. Dreaming about holding a lover. Kissing. A hand caressing his ass, moving to his...

Kaiba was still hunched over on the floor.

"Did you just try -!" Words failed Jounouchi.

"You were enjoying it." Kaiba said. It's what his uncle always told him. "It wouldn't hurt. I know what I'm doing." It wasn't really a lie, since he did know the process overall.

"You...know..." Jounouchi found his chest constricting. Kaiba knew he was sexually assaulting him. Suddenly, Jou felt naked. He pulled his shorts up properly. He saw his pants and grabbed them, over turning whatever was on top of them. "I'ma go take a walk, and when I get back, if you are still here I'm gonna beat the holy shit outta you, Okay? You get me? I will fucking kill you if I see you again."


	39. Piece 47

Chapter 39, Piece 47 * * * * * * * *

"Brown eyes." Seto repeated again, grabbing Jounouchi's arms and hyperventilating. "You have brown eyes." He looked at Mokuba. "Like in my dreams. The man that yells. He has brown eyes."

"What the fuck is wrong with him?" Jounouchi struggled, but could not break free. "Get him offa me!"

"Seto." Mokuba stroked his brother's cheek. "Yes, brown eyes. It's Okay. Let him go." He tried to pry Seto's hand loose. "Calm down, nii-sama, it's okay, you're safe. Anzu, get the tranq; I think he's lost this time. He's shaking."

"I'm not lost," Seto responded. He took a deep breath in order to get some control. "Just more confused than normal."

"Whatever!" Jounouchi snapped. "Get the fuck off me!"

Seto let go. "Most of the world has brown eyes, but yours are captivating. Terrifying. In my dreams, someone I can't see is yelling at me, threatening me. I didn't realize it, but he has brown eyes. _Your_ brown eyes."

"Don't you fucking dare put this on me!" Jounouchi snarled. "You attacked me!"

Seto stepped back and bowed. "Then please accept my apology." He took the envelope from Anzu. "Mutou, your contract; I wired the funds this morning."

"Not even gonna deny it?" Jounouchi spat as the rest of the group tried to absorb what was happening.

"Mazaki said I'd called you 'worthless'. In my dreams, it sounded like someone else's voice. But it may have been mine. You, cowering while I hurt you. I'm sorry I -"

"Never happened, asshole. Don't play like you could take me! You may win when we duel, but when you laid a hand on me, it was your ass on the floor, not mine!"

"Jounouchi." Mokuba moved between the two men. His voice carried an undertone of unmistakable menace. "I don't know what you're talking about, but if you hurt my brother, I will take you apart."

"Maybe you should back off, Mokuba." Honda stepped closer.

Mokuba gave the man a cold look. "Maybe you should remember who I am. Seto is not the only Kaiba you should worry about. Or do you really think I'm a nice boy?"

"_I_ think you are a nice boy," Seto said, sounding in full command of his faculties again. "And if Jounouchi hurt me, I'm sure it was merely self defense."

"If?" Jou looked incredulous. "So you really claim you don't know what happened that night, you don't know how you got my pad, you didn't do anything?"

"I claim nothing of the sort," Seto corrected. "I don't remember what happened, therefore, I am taking you at your word."

"Oh, so you can come back later and say I lied."

"I can assure you that will not happen. Take what you want and go."

"I want -" Jounouchi stopped abruptly, suddenly recognizing the expression in Kaiba's eyes as fear. "Are you afraid of me?"

"Terrified." Although the way he said it, it sounded more like a boast. "I don't know what happened between us, but they are right; we could never have been friends."

Jounouchi looked thoughtful for a moment. His mouth twisted, then he nodded. "Okay. I want what you asked for. Five minutes. Alone."

"Not going to happen," Mokuba stated flatly, as Honda said, "not a good idea."

"We were always alone." Seto took a step back. "Brown eyes and pain and no one will know."

Mokuba turned to his brother. "Wait, nii-sama. I don't think you were ever alone with Jou. I think you've got some stuff overlapping." He gently guided Seto to sit on the couch. "Let's try to sort it. Close your eyes, okay? Just breathe. Anzu, get them out."

"No!" Seto tried to move but Mokuba held him down. "Stay. I want them to stay, Mokie. Maybe they can help. Maybe the pieces mean something to them."

"Okay, okay," Mokuba soothed. "Give me - give us - a piece."

"A man. One eye is brown, the other is mechanical. Gold."

"Akhenaden," Yugi supplied.

"Who?" Seto turned toward him.

Mokuba grabbed his face and held it. "No. Not now."

"But -"

"No. Lock it. Put it in the locked room."

"But he knows -"

"I promise, Seto. I promise we will unlock that room, but for right now, you need to lock that one, okay?" Seto nodded, sadly. "Okay. Good boy." He kissed Seto's forehead. "Give me a piece."

"The one who said it won't hurt had brown eyes."

Mokuba threw a quick glance at the others, as if he were reluctant to share this conversation. "Yeah. Yeah, our uncle probably did."

"The one who said it wouldn't hurt had blue eyes," Jounouchi muttered.

"Jou!" Bakura sounded shocked.

"The blonde man that I kissed." Seto went on as if they weren't there. "It was him."

Mokuba looked over his shoulder at Jounouchi. "You kissed him. You said you were afraid of him. Are you still?"

Seto looked at Jounouchi again and seemed conflicted. "I don't know!"

Mokuba stood up. "Jounouchi, make me understand."

"Fuck you!" Jounouchi snapped. "I'm out!" He moved toward the door, but Mokuba blocked him. "Mokuba, get out of my way."

"Jou," Honda touched his friend's shoulder. "Did something happen that night?"

"Oh yeah!" Jounouchi laughed, but the tone had no humor. "You guys got laid - and I got fucked."

"You and Kaiba?"

"Fucked _over_. It's no big deal, right?" Jounouchi shrugged and pushed Honda's hand away. "Moneybags jumped me while I was asleep. I woke up before he got into it, took care of it, and walked out. And while I was gone, asshole stole my pad and then he left."

"Are you saying -" Honda couldn't finish the thought.

"Katsuya," Yugi stepped forward, "did he rape you?"

"Get real! Girls get raped." Jounouchi replied. "Relax, Yug'. He couldn't take me on his best night."

"No!" Seto shouted. He doubled over. "No! No! No! Not him! No! Mokie? Mokie, I couldn't - I wouldn't - would I?"

Mokuba and Anzu both moved to comfort the distraught man.

"So he jumps me and I'm the bad guy?" Jounouchi scoffed. "Figures."

"Jou, why didn't you say something?" Yugi asked. "Is that why you won't date?"

"No!" Jounouchi stepped away from both his friends. "I just haven't met anyone."

"It's pretty common that abuse victims become abusers," Otogi observed. "It wasn't much of a secret that Kaiba was abused." The group turned to him in amazement. "He was pretty good at hiding it at school, but you attend enough of the high society events, you eventually find all the skeletons."

"What an awful way to confront this," Yugi sighed. "For both of you. Jou, I am so sorry. I should have been there for you."

"You had your own issues."

"They weren't more important than this."

"I handled it." Jounouchi shrugged again. "It was no big deal."

"Jou, you've been mad about it for ten years." Honda voice was gentle. "That's a damn big deal."

"I'm fine," Seto said loudly. "I am perfectly capable of facing the repercussions of my actions. "Jounouchi-san is well within his rights to press charges. If he would prefer a more direct, more cathartic method of justice, well..." Seto straightened his shoulders. "Two of the bone breaks on my x-rays were not a result of the accident. I suspect this will not be the first time such a thing has occurred." Seto took a deep breath. "You all may leave. Jounouchi-san, do not feel bound to a time limit; take as long as you'd like."


	40. Piece 30

Chapter 40, Piece 30 * * * * * * * *

Mokuba couldn't help smiling as he watched Seto. The Annual Children's Day event at KaibaLand was always fun, but this year Seto was off the chain.

Seto had created the event when the park opened. It was a massive outlay of transportation and housing for orphans, at-risk youth, and underprivileged kids that involved bringing the children to the park, feeding them, housing them overnight and returning them in the next day. Hell of an expense, but the tax deduction was impressive - and the annual boost in sales more than paid for the event.

Even before the accident Seto usually participated in the games and tried to meet some of the children. But generally he spent the day making sure the park was running smoothly and that the guardians who came with the children were satisfied.

Not so this year.

The day had started with Seto waking Mokuba at 4am - Seto's new KaibaLand t-shirt still creased from its packaging - wanting to go open the park. He'd behaved like Yugi on a sugar rush. When they did get to the park around 7am, Seto made sure that there were casually-dressed managers assigned to operations. From the minute the gates opened, Seto entire focus had been on the kids having fun.

He gave hugs, kissed boo-boos, wiped tears, started a water pistol fight, coaxed some kids to ride, and sat with some kids who didn't ride. He laughed out loud, and ran, and acted like a 10-year-old.

"That's what he used to be like, isn't it?" Yugi asked Mokuba.

"Yeah."

They stood in silence for a moment, watching Seto put a small girl on his shoulders so she could reach a balloon caught in a tree.

"I want him back, and I didn't even know him."

Mokuba smiled sadly. "I'm almost jealous. I used to be the only kid he picked up."

"You're too big to fit on his shoulders now."

"Yeah..."

Yugi looked at Mokuba, who turned away. "Mokie?"

"I'm cool." But there was a hitch in his voice. "I just... oh... damn it!" He sniffed and Yugi put his arm around Mokuba's shoulder.

"Mokuba?" Seto's voice made them both jump. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"Geez! Kaiba-kun, you scared the heck out of me!"

"Oh. Sorry. What's wrong, Mokie? Did something happen?"

"No, Nii-sama, everything's cool." But Mokuba did not turn around. "Yugi and I were just talking."

"Talking? You didn't look like you were talking."

Mokuba turned finally and faced Seto. His face was a bit puffy. "Uh, Yugi's still got an autograph session this afternoon, but I need his help over at the pavilion. We'll catch you later. You good?"

Seto frowned. "There's nothing scheduled at the pavilion until 2pm." Suddenly his eyes went wide. Then his cheeks turned bright red. "Oooooohhh! Uh, yes. I'm sure you two can resolve the pavilion issue. Take as long as you'd like. I'll -"

"Oh fer...!" Mokuba gasped as Yugi actually giggled. "Nii-sama, Yugi and I are not slipping away to fool around!"

"- make sure maintenance doesn't go over there until 1:30. Do you need anything? I heard that some of the security team always keep 'supplies' in their wallets."

"Seto!" Mokuba was also turning red. "We are not -"

"Kaiba-kun, I think those kids are looking for you again." Yugi gestured to the group Seto had been with.

"Oh! Yes, I was going to take them back to their teacher." He looked at the children then back at Mokuba. "I know you're upset about something, but are you sure you are okay for now?"

Mokuba seemed to struggle for a moment. "Yeah." He nodded. "Yeah, big bro, I'm okay."

"Okay." Seto kissed his brother's forehead. "I'm taking these children back to the food court, then I'll -" he hesitated, then shrugged, "I have no idea. I have my phone. Find me if you need me." He walked away.

"And I wouldn't object if you two did go spend an hour at the pavilion." He sang out as he left.

"Wow." Yugi smiled fondly watching Seto walk away. "As harsh as he was to you, I always wondered why you were so devoted." He looked at Mokuba. "You really are his heart. I don't think he could have re-built it without you."

"Other way around; I need him." Mokuba cleared his throat. "So, on the subject of unhealthy love interests, how's Bakura? You see him yet?"

"Tonight. He's picking me up from here." Yugi shrugged. "He's stable."

"The offer still stands. Say the word, and we can find a bed at any treatment center in the world."

"Those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones."

The awkward silence grew until Mokuba's phone rang and he was able to escape the uncomfortable truth.

He and Yugi parted ways, and didn't meet up again until after Yugi's signing.

"Earlier," Mokuba said as they could hear announcements telling groups which parking lot to go to. "Sorry. I -"

"Just make sure there are three rooms available." Yugi smiled ruefully. "I shouldn't throw any stones either."

"Deal. Listen, why don't you guys come over for dinner. I haven't seen Bakura in ages, and Seto would love to - God damn, now what?" He glared at his ringing phone as Yugi snickered.

"Kaiba." His expression slowly drew confused. "He's where? Stop! Stop! Start from the beginning. Seto's where? The bathroom! He's what?! Are you - are you fucking mental? Where is Roland? What about Tamora? No! No, don't let anyone do a Goddamned thing. I'm on my way. What? No! Of course he won't! Roland's in charge 'til I get there. And keep everybody away. I don't need this on twitter all damn night." He hung up the phone and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"What happened?"

"Seto's allegedly holding some kid hostage, screaming about protecting me."

"What?" Yugi seemed bewildered. "But he was fine this morning. Are they sure it's him?"

"Come on." Mokuba activated his GPS tracker and followed it to his brother.

The restroom was near the south lot. A sign and cleaning cart announced that it was closed. The man near the entrance was dressed like maintenance, but Mokuba knew security when he saw them.

The guard nodded and let them pass.

Inside Tamora and Roland looked tense. With them was a woman.

"Kaiba-san," Tamora whispered. "Kaiba-sama is around the corner in the last stall. He has a .22, but he only fired a warning shot."

"He shot at you?!" Yugi whispered-screamed.

"A warning," Roland dismissed. "Wide left."

"Be cool, Yugi." Mokuba patted his friend's shoulder. "What happened?"

"That lunatic kidnapped one of my kids!" The woman snapped. The two security men hushed her.

"I know you're still there," Kaiba called out unseen. "Wait for as long as you like. You are not taking my brother anywhere. I'll shoot him first."

Mokuba choked, then covered his mouth to keep from laughing out loud. He signaled the group to go back outside.

"You're laughing?!" The outraged woman shrieked once Roland moved his hand.

"Sorry. Sorry." Mokuba tried to control himself. "He caught me off guard with that. Ma'am, first, I don't know how we got here, but I'm the brother he thinks he's holding, and I promise you, Seto will shoot himself twice before he does a thing to that kid. Everything will be fine. Yugi, could you do me a favor and find out exactly what happened?" He took the woman's hand and put it in Yugi's. "Tell him everything." He gestured toward a bench and smiled gratefully as Yugi lead the woman away.

"Okay." He turned back to Tamora and Roland. "What the hell?"

The two men exchanged a look. "We're not entirely sure. Kaiba-sama seems to believe that child services is here to take 'you' into protective custody."

"Who's the kid?"

Roland sighed. "His name is actually Mokuba. He's from the Domino Children's Home and -"

"Wait, what?"

"Yes, we believe the coincidence may have triggered some dissidence."

"Some? Hell, I'm kinda freaked out by it." Mokuba shook his head. "Ok, so some black-haired mop top, about the right height, from the right place probably needed help reaching the soap, and someone tried to take him to the bus with the other kids, or something like that?"

"Seems likely."

"So how did he get the gun?"

Tamora sighed heavily. "A security officer went in first - before it was reported that the suspect was Kaiba-sama. We believe he intended to scare what he thought was a teenage bully."

"And got his ass handed to him." Mokuba snorted. "Where's the officer?"

"Infirmary." Roland sounded a bit smug. "Kaiba-sama disarmed him and broke his rib."

They looked at each other. "Ideas?" Mokuba asked.

"You, sir," Tamora said. "You are the only one who can reach him like this. We have a tranquilizer, but he's positioned so that he can see who's coming before we have line-of-sight on him."

"Give." Mokuba put out his hand and Roland gave him the pen. "Anywhere?"

"Neck would be fastest," Tamora advised.

Mokuba nodded, took a deep breath, and went back into the restroom. "Nii-sama, I'm coming -"

"Stop there!" Seto yelled. "You are not my brother!"

"Okay, okay." Mokuba stopped. "I can talk from here. Mokuba? You okay, dude?"

"Yes," the boy called out. "He just won't let me go."

"Never, Mokie, I promise," Seto soothed. "I'll never let them take you."

"You didn't, Seto," Mokuba agreed. "Child services came twice. And you keep me safe both times. Just like you promised." Mokuba felt a lump rise in his throat remembering the incidents. "The first time was right after Gozaburo died. Do you remember?"

"Papa died," Seto replied. "They came when Papa died."

"They did? I didn't know that." Mokuba quietly took a step forward. "Tell me."

"They came and took us to - to -" Seto's voice wavered. "A house. Big. There was a - a - woman. Tsk-tsk-tsk. She always clicked her teeth like that. Always three times."

"Did she? I don't remember." He took another step, bringing him to where the bathroom turned.

"I doubt you would; you were..." Seto's voice trailed off. "You said you were eight. But you were eight when we got adopted."

"Yes, Seto. It's a puzzle. Put the pieces together. How can I be eight now if I was eight then?"

"You're trying to confuse me!" Seto snapped. "Stop it! I'm not kidding. I will kill us both before I let you separate us."

"Okay! Okay!" Mokuba tried to sound calming. "No shooting required. Actually, hey, Seto, where'd you learn to shoot?"

"Papa - no. Papa didn't even like guns in movies. But... I..."

Mokuba took the step around the corner. "Do you remember teaching me? Teaching your brother?"

Seto had the stall door open, blocking anyone from seeing them, but allowing him to use the bathroom mirror to see everything.

Mokuba slowly moved next to the sink.

Seto had the boy sitting in his lap, arms around him. They both had their legs outstretched, and Seto's ankles overlapped the boy's. Mokuba remembered sitting like that with his brother during thunderstorms and other times he was scared. And the kid did look a lot like he did when he was eight. No wonder Seto had a memory loop.

"The first time, we sat just like that - just like how you are now."

"I wanted you to feel safe," Seto said, lost in time. "I wanted you to be able to protect yourself. Hold the gun like this." He put the gun in the kid's hands and held it with him. "Always check the safety. It should be locked like this. Always."

Both Mokubas nodded - the elder both because those were the first lessons Seto taught him and because he was relieved to hear that the safety was on.

"Never point a gun at a person unless you intend to pull the trigger. Using a gun to threaten someone is useless if you cannot follow thru, so don't waste your time. Do you understand? If you aim at someone, only aim at someone you are willing to kill."

"But those men before -" the kid started.

"I didn't aim at them. I aimed at the reflection in the mirror. I wanted them to know that we are armed." Seto seemed to forget about the adult Mokuba as he spoke to the child. "They will be much more likely to take us seriously. Now. Hold it like this - safety on, yes? You see this notch? Use it to aim..."

Seto went on with the lesson and Mokuba crept closer. Finally, when Mokuba was as close as he dared move, he waited.

It was a couple minutes, but the kid looked up and the Mokubas' eyes met. The elder made a hand gesture he hoped translated to 'roll left', then took a breath and dived on his brother.

The kid - and the gun - rolled to the left, out of Seto's arms and Mokuba landed on Seto, pinning him just long enough to jab him with the sedative. Then Seto shoved his real brother and nearly choked him before the drug took affect and Seto collapsed.

Mokuba coughed for a minute.

"You ok?" The kid asked.

"Yeah." Mokuba croaked. "You?"

"Yeah." He looked at Mokuba strangely. "Are you me from the future?"

All things considered, the question wasn't too farfetched. "I don't think so. We never went to an amusement park when I was a kid. Tell me the safety is still on."

"Oh yeah!" The kid nodded. "Here." He pointed the gun at Mokuba.

"Lesson one!" Mokuba croaked.

"Oh, right!" The kid pointed the gun down and awkwardly tried to hand it over.

Mokuba took it and slipped it into his back pocket. "Ok. Ready to go?"

"Yeah." He looked at Seto. "Is he going to be in big trouble?"

"Probably. Should he be?"

"Well..." the kid seemed to think about it. "He didn't really do anything. Fuji-san said she would cane me if I didn't hurry up and he kinda flipped out."

Mokuba nodded. "I got caned once. Hurt like hell. Seto wasn't there and I dropped a bottle of juice. He never forgave the Home for it."

"You lived at the Domino Home?"

"Yeah, we both -"

"Kaiba-san?" Tamora call out. "Since you are chatting, may we assume the situation is under control."

"Oops." Mokuba grinned sheepishly at the kid. "Forgot about them. All clear!" He shouted.

Tamora and Roland appeared and picked up Seto as the Mokubas stood. "The teacher threatened the kid and Seto took it seriously. It caused a memory loop."

"Yes, I would think so." Roland said looking at the boy and the man. "The hospital?"

"Hell no. Take him home. His room."

"Where is he!?" Came a stressed woman's voice, followed by Yugi's, "I'm sure they're on their way out."

"Us first." Mokuba straightened his shirt. "Come on, kid."

They went outside and Fuji-san swept the young Mokuba into a frantic embrace.

"What happened?" Yugi asked quietly.

"Long story. But she gave Seto a chance to save me from something that he missed in reality."

"I hope you go to jail for a long, long time!" She spat as Tamora and Roland passed her with the unconscious Seto.

"Wait!" Mokuba turned his attention back to the teacher. "Ok, I'm not even going to pretend. What is this settlement going to cost us?" He looked at the kid. "And look, you caught him at a bad time, but he really is a very cool big brother. We could adopt you and..." Mokuba's voice petered out as the kid's expression changed to confused horror. "Would that be too awkward?"

"That would be creepy."

"Ok." Mokuba nodded, feeling foolish. "I can see that. Here, tell you what. Take my card. If you ever need anything - anything, ever - call me." He turned back to Fuji. "So Domino Home still canes kids. I can write you a check, or I can write about what it was like being eight at the Domino Home. Your choice."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Fuji-san looked indignantly at a nearby treetop.

"Your. Choice."

"I'm sure our lawyers will be in touch. Come along, Mokuba." She hurried away.

"She didn't say anything about caning to me." Yugi pointed out.

"The kid said that's what set Seto off, and I believe him over her."

Yugi started to speak, but was cut off by his phone ringing. "Oh geez! I forgot about Ryou!"

"Go find him. And I don't think dinner's on tonight."

"Maybe next time," Yugi agreed.


	41. Piece 11

Chapter 41, Piece 11 * * * * * * * *

Jou left the room. Maybe he should have made Kaiba leave. Jou wasn't sure about the logic or the etiquette of the moment. He just felt like he needed to move. Like the longer he stayed in that room, the less sense everything seemed to make.

The more he wanted to see if Kaiba's lips were really as soft as they felt in the dream.

He went outside, hoping the cool night air would help clear his mind.

Maybe that was a woody that brushed Jou's leg when Kaiba all but fell onto his futon Friday night.

Was Kaiba into him? Was Kaiba even gay?

Since when? Was that why he'd been nice, asked about the drawings and stuff? Or did Jou do something, say something to make Kaiba think he wanted that?

He did want it, truth be told. Jou'd had a crush on Kaiba for years. This had not been the first time Jou had dreamed about having a naked, willing Kaiba Seto in his arms. Just the first time it had been real.

That thought lingered for a minute or so.

A naked. Aroused. Willing. Kaiba Seto. Was kissing. Me.

A naked, aroused, willing Kaiba Seto was kissing me.

AnakedarousedwillingKaibaSetowaskissingme.

And I _literally_ kicked him out of the futon.

Then again, it _was_ an assault. Kaiba hadn't even tried it while he was awake to say 'yes'. (Or enjoy it.) Hell, the bastard didn't even hint that he liked him!

What the hell? Did Kaiba think he was so hard up that just jumping on him would be cool? Or did he get off on rape?

'Oh hell!' Jou thought. 'I was almost raped.'


	42. Piece 48

Chapter 42, Piece 48 * * * * * * * *

Kaiba locked the door. Almost instantly, his cell phone rang. He turned it off and faced Jounouchi.

It had actually been Mutou who was able to convince the group to give the two men some time alone.

"We really only have two choices: let them work it out here and support them, or find out that worked things out on their own when they sneak off and do it." He looked at each individual in turn. "If they both want to do this, Ra himself won't stop them."

No one had an argument for that, and they all left the room, albeit reluctantly.

Kaiba started to speak, then paused - glancing over the man who had so enthralled his evening "Jounouchi-san, I understand you have little reason to trust me, but this may not be the best location to continue our conversation."

"Why not?"

Seto pointed to the wall. "Did you do that?"

Jounouchi looked at the fist-shaped hole. "Worried your head is next?"

"I'm concerned that your hand is swelling because you've broken a bone. I suggest that we slip out through the catering door, catch a cab, and go to the nearest medical center. We can talk on the way and I will pay for treatment."

Jounouchi looked at his hand and touched it gingerly. He frowned. "Fuck. I do not need this." He sighed heavily. "You're payin' the cab fare too."

The door lead to a service hall. It circled around the ballroom where most of KaibaCorp's guests were still enjoying the evening.

They ran across a group of waiters apparently on a break.

"Kaiba-sama!" One of them gasped and they all bowed deeply. "Did you need something, sir?"

"Yes, the quickest exit and where can we catch a cab - preferably without my brother catching us."

The group almost managed to hide their good-natured smiles.

"Yes, sir. This way, please." One of them directed them further down the hall.

"If anyone asks," Kaiba started.

"We haven't seen anyone."

They exited the hotel on a quiet side street around the corner from the main entrance. The waiter left them and returned moments later followed by a cab.

As they got into the cab, Kaiba gave the waiter a ¥1,000 note. "My brother will likely create a panic looking for us. Before he puts the building on lock down you may recall seeing two men mention going to a hotel."

The man looked confused. "But..." Then he seemed to understand. "Yes, sir. They seemed very attentive to each other."

Kaiba got in the vehicle. "Driver, the nearest emergency room. My friend has a broken bone and is in a great deal of pain."

Jounouchi glared at him. "I'm trying to decide if it's worth breaking the other hand to punch you. The whole damn place thinks we're gonna fuck, you asshole."

"No. The wait staff believe we want people to _think_ we are going to fuck. I have no idea what they believe we are actually going to do, but they will tell an embellished story of two lovers slipping out into the night."

Jounouchi's glare deepened. "Which no one who knows either of us would buy on a bet!"

"But it will prove Mutou-kun's point, and get Mokie to call off the dogs."

Jounouchi huffed and scowled. "Yeah, probably." The cab rolled over a bump and he hissed. "Ow! Shit! I'm beginning to feel that now. Damn, that hurts."

"I'm sorry. Why did you punch the wall in the first place?"

"Because I needed to punch something and your face wasn't there!"

"Ah."

They were silent for the rest of the ride, apart from Jounouchi's occasional grunts of pain.

When they arrived, Kaiba paid the driver as Jounouchi went in. Kaiba caught up to Jounouchi at the registration desk. "Stay here; I'll be right back."

The blonde grunted in response and Kaiba followed a hunch. A few minutes' search, and he began seeing signs for the hospital's chief surgeon. The office was open.

Kaiba showed his ID to the receptionist at the desk. "Do you know who I am?"

She read the name, then looked at him. "Kaiba Seto? Kaiba - KaibaCorp, Kaiba Seto?" She nearly knocked her chair over standing to bow. "Kaiba-sama! I am honored!"

"Thank you, but I have an emergency. My friend is an artist and we believe he's broken his hand. Is there -"

"Right away, sir." She hurried into the interior office.

A moment later she and a grey-bearded gentleman came out. The man smiled.

"Kaiba-sama, it is an honor -"

"Later!" He snapped. "Jounouchi is in pain and if he can no longer draw because of this, I will never forgive myself."

"Of course. Where is he?"

"Registration. And I haven't the faintest idea how to get back."

"Then follow me."

The trip back was quick. Kaiba knew they were near when he could hear Jounouchi's voice in the distance.

"...telling you, I can't even hold the pen, much less write! You've got my card, can't you just..."

As they rounded the corner, Kaiba pointed. "Him."

"Certainly, sir. Thank you, Sister. I will take this patient from here. Tetsu-san will do his intake forms. Call Miokuru-sensei, tell him we have an artist with -" the doctor paused and picked up Jounouchi's arm gently. "Excuse me, this will probably hurt." He touched the injured hand in several places. "With four, maybe five shattered hand bones. I'd like him to consult tonight. Thank you." He looked at Jounouchi. "You're looking a bit pale. Let's get you a room and something to ease the pain, shall we?"


	43. Piece 34

Chapter 43, Piece 34 * * * * * * * *

Anzu and I had a fairly strict daily routine. I liked that. I liked the order and predictability of it. Everything was scheduled.

My old schedule was the only record I had of what my life was like before the accident. It gave me the overall where and what. But nothing gave me the who and why.

That's part of why I wanted an assistant. I wanted someone to record not only the objective parts of my life, but also the subjective parts. To judge by what I found in my room, it seemed as if I had no life outside of the corporate office. I had no pictures of friends, no emails on non-business topics.

And no vague hint that I had ever had a boyfriend.

And it would have been a boyfriend. Flirting with my American doctor had been partly an exercise in language use - and mostly a dare from my associate reeducation patients. Most of them longed to do depraved things to her nubile naked body. I found in fairly short order that I had no interest in her whatsoever. At first, I was concerned that there was an undiagnosed physical trauma.

Then the male massage therapist returned from his vacation and I discovered that all of my 'equipment' was in working order. He was tall, sandy blonde, and originally from Queens, New York. And according to my libido, far more interesting than my doctor.

Once we returned home to Japan, I found my taste in men to be surprisingly selective. Tall, fair haired, self assured, but not arrogant. Men who knew what they wanted but who cared about the means as well as the ends. In my old life, I should have been surrounded by such men.

Now, I was surrounded by glorified babysitters. It was true that I needed to re-acclimate myself to the business world, but I really had far more interest in recreating myself. Roland and Sato clearly meant well - and appeared to even care about 'Kaiba-sama' as a person. But, I was getting tired of their parental-style guidance.

Anzu, on the other hand, was exactly what I needed. She cared about 'Seto'; not that she liked me, but she was more interested in what I wanted than what anyone else wanted for me.

'Which didn't mean she was nice to me', I thought, as she fairly banged on my bedroom door.

"Seto! If your lazy ass is still in that bed, I swear I will have Roland-san put you in the car butt naked!"

"I'm up!" I shouted back, getting out of bed. "I'll be down shortly." She had not made good on that threat. Yet.

After a brief breakfast, we went to one of the KaibaCorp manufacturing plants. After reviewing the company on paper, I decided to visit every company facility in person. I wanted to meet every employee, see how everything was done. At the end of each tour, we closed the location early for the day, took an all staff photo in front of the building, and then held a reception for the staff someplace with a full bar. The visits had the dual effect of improving company morale and vastly improving my knowledge of what we did and how we did it.

"I have to admit," Anzu commented as we drove through the next nameless suburban business district. "I had no idea how big KaibaCorp was! How did you manage all this and do homework?"

I laughed. "I have no idea either. My brilliance astounds even me."

"So I guess you were always an egomaniac." She rolled her eyes.

She said something else, but I wasn't listening. My entire attention was on a sign on the side of the building we were passing.

The building was the length of the block, two-story, retail on the ground level and windowless above. The sign that had captured my attention was blue and white, and read 'Lawson Station' in English.

'Lawson' was a name; 'station' was a stopping place like a building where you catch a train.

They were the first words I'd learned in English. But the sign was too high...

"Stop the car!" I said, suddenly frantic. "Driver! Stop! Now!" We were still in motion, but I opened the door.

"Seto!" Anzu shrieked as I got out in traffic.

I heard the horns and the swearing drivers, but they were irrelevant. In order for the sign to be in the right position, I had to go up. There was a dilapidated six-story building across from the sign and I suddenly knew where I was.

Papa's office.

Anytime school was out, and Papa had to work, he brought Mokie and I in to work with him. We rode the train, and had lunch at the noodle bar on the retail level. If Papa had to work late, we had dinner there too.

There was a receptionist where I entered, but I ignored her, went up the stairs, and through the right door on the right floor.

And found the wrong office.

"No. No, this is wrong." I looked around and realized that they had remodeled. All the windows were inside offices. It used to be one bright room with cubicles.

Someone grabbed my arm, but I shoved them off. The noise around me seemed irrelevant as I opened each office door until I found the window overlooking the sign. Papa's desk had been in the line in front of that window; that's how Mokie and I would find him again when we went to the bathroom.

The man at the desk was yelling, but I ignored it. "Do you know my Papa?" I asked instead.

He stopped yelling and looked at me as if I were insane. "What?"

"Do you know my Papa?" I repeated. "He works here. Worked here." I took the man's arm and pulled him into the main room.

The ceiling tile. There was a large, gross water stain on the tile above Papa's desk. I looked up, found it, and went there. The cubicles had been replaced by a copier and some file cabinets.

"Papa worked here. Right here." I took a couple steps over. "And the man with the green pens worked here. And the mean woman." I paused, lost for a moment. "Here. If we came down the wrong aisle, she told us to be quiet."

"Seto, calm down!" Anzu said. Anzu should not be in Papa's office.

"He worked here," I repeated, moving back to the stain and the files. "The carpet is different and you took away his desk, but he worked here."

"Ok, son, ok." The man I dragged from the office held my shoulders. "Take it easy. What's your papa's name?"

"Kaiba Gozaburo," I said. Then I shook my head. "No! Not him! No! Papa was - was -" Nothing. My mind was blank. Or, more accurately, it was a jumbled mess with so many fragments that everything was lost in a black hole.

Mama. What did Mama call Papa? "Ken-chan," I said finally, weakly.

"You got a family name?" I shook my head. "Ok, ok. Anybody remember a 'Ken-anything' working here?" He asked aloud.

"Kensaku, maybe?" A woman asked. "Hishigomi Kensaku. He retired a few years ago. But, I don't think he was married."

"Hishigomi." The man nodded. "But he was kind of short. I don't think he'd be your old man."

I shook my head. "Papa could touch the ceiling."

"Definitely not Hishigomi, then."

"How long ago was it?" Someone behind me asked.

"Around 16 years ago," Anzu answered for me. She put her hands on my shoulders. "Right, Seto? Your papa passed away when you were 10, right?"

I nodded. Papa didn't work anywhere; Papa was dead.

"That's your answer, son," the man said. "This company wasn't here then. You have the right place, but there's nothing here for you now."


	44. Piece 12

Chapter 44, Piece 12 * * * * * * * *

Kaiba looked at the door for a long time, debating whether he should leave or wait for Jounouchi to return. If he waited, there would be no 'talk it out' - whatever else he may be, Jounouchi was a man of his word. If Kaiba was still in that room when the blonde returned, Jounouchi would assuredly beat him to death.

Kaiba almost smiled. 'I don't have the luxury of death.'

There hadn't been much of a struggle, but it had been enough to scatter the few things Kaiba had neatly folded. He dressed, gathered his belongs, and stuffed them haphazardly into his bag. He paused in the bathroom to wash his face.

Then he centered himself, called his office, and found the guidance counselor to inform him. There was always a situation at KaibaCorp that needed immediate attention; manufacturing a reason to leave any event early was simple.

Jou wandered around until he found himself near the stairs leading to the guest rooms. He didn't want to go back to his room yet. If Kaiba was still there, Jou wasn't sure if he really would hit him. Jou wasn't sure what he wanted at the moment. Was it crazy that part of him was seriously turned on? Didn't that mean he had Stockholm syndrome or something like that?

But even so, Kaiba deserved at least one good elbow to the teeth and Jou was reasonably confident that once he started hitting the asshole, he wasn't going to stop. His room was a bad idea for the moment.

But Honda's room was a great idea. Honda was rooming with Yugi - because no one was stupid enough to let Honda and Otogi share a room alone. They'd both forgive him for waking them over this.

But standing in front of the room door, Jou heard muffled gasps and moans that told him who was actually in the room. He almost knocked anyway. But no one likes a cock block.

And he could always go talk to Yugi.

When Jou heard the almost identical sounds coming from the second room, he decided that maybe it was a good time to go soak in the hot spring.


	45. Piece 49

Chapter 45, Piece 49 * * * * * * * *

"I'm going to find him, and then I'm going to kill him!" Mokuba threw his brother's cell phone at the nearest wall. "And then I'm going to surgically implant a damn GPS chip in his damn ass!"

"You think he left his phone here on purpose?" Honda asked.

"Of course he left it on purpose!" Mokuba snapped. "He's irresponsible, not stupid. The GPS is in the phone. With it, I can pinpoint his location within a couple feet. But he turned it off, and left it here - and then conned that guy into telling that bullshit 'love hotel' story."

"Not with Jou!" Otogi snickered.

"They probably went somewhere they could sort this all out." Eric tried to be the voice of reason. "They're grown men. They can work this out on their own."

"You don't understand!" Mokuba began pacing. "Seto still has panic attacks. And like what happened earlier - memories overwhelm him, and he flips out. Sometimes he can pull out of it, but sometimes he just loses it."

"He was fine tonight, Mokie," Yugi soothed. "And anyone would have been distraught over what happened with Jou."

"Don't let tonight fool you." Mokuba shook his head. "He only looks twenty-nine. Too much of the wrong stress at the wrong time and he's twelve!"

"If he's that precarious, why is he taking over again?" Bakura asked. "Shouldn't he simply retire?"

Mokuba gave him an incredulous look. "He was twelve when he started KaibaGames. He masterminded a successful hostile takeover of the whole company before he turned sixteen. Against Gozaburo! I'm not that good. I can either give him half the company or he can take all of it." He dropped into a chair and sighed heavily. "He's better than I'll ever be and he's not even operating at his best."

"Which is exactly what Seto says about you." Anzu got up and began rubbing Mokuba's shoulders.

The door of the suite opened. Tamora entered and bowed slightly. "Kaiba-san, we have been able to track Jounouchi-san's phone." He hesitated. "It is, unfortunately, at the Kami Game Shop. Mutou-san confirmed that it was charging and that neither Kaiba-sama nor Jounouchi-san have been there this evening."

Mokuba threw up his hands. "I give! I give up! Fine. Recall everyone. Have those assholes in the ballroom left yet, or do I have to play nice still?"

"The only guests remaining are here."

"Cool. You, Roland and Sato take the night off. Guys, I need two hours, then let's go somewhere and get lit." Mokuba stalked out of the room and up to his own guest room.

The others had rooms - that had been prearranged in case they needed them - so he didn't feel guilty leaving them.

What he felt badly about was what he wanted two hours for.

However tech-ed out it was, ultimately the content of the black box in his suitcase was a blowup doll. A very life-like, sophisticated, computer enhanced blowup doll.

The doll self inflated while the tablet with the program booted up. Mokuba undressed, and unpacked the lube. He tried not to think about how pathetic it was that he was still in love with a computer program he was once brainwashed into believing was his brother. A therapist would have a field day with that.

But Seto had been able to break through the brainwashing in part because Mokuba had not wanted to believe that the lovely teal-haired Noa was his relative. Having him as a lover... Even as young as he was, Mokuba fell hard, fast and forever.

Ever since the day his older brother erased the program containing Noa, Mokuba had searched for it. It had been part of the corporate mainframe and bits of the data were part of inert files in millions of lines of code. He'd even designed a virus that wormed into KaibaCorp software and mined Noa's data from anywhere the world wide web could reach.

The base of the program Mokuba used now had come with the doll, allowing users to enter their own name and their fetish phrases of choice. He'd modified that and added Noa's data as he found it. The result was as close to holding his heart's desire as was humanly possible.

=Hello, Mokie.= The inhuman voice said. =I missed you. Hold me; I want to feel you inside me.=

Mokuba nodded, more to himself than his 'partner'. The program was fully loaded. He picked up the tablet, opened his collection of pornos, and did what passed for sex in his sad little head.

He'd tried. He'd tried dating real men. First anyone attractive, then only guys who reminded him of Noa. Then guys who were willing to cosplay as Noa. He had a lot of photos of them. He'd gotten into an argument with the last 3-D guy.

The man had told him, "get over him; or you're just going to be sad and lonely all your life."

Mokuba had replied, "you're right. Now get out."

Now the doll and the images were his lover until he could find enough of Noa's digital brain to rebuild him.

After, after the release of stress and frustration, and after the humiliating process of cleaning one's plastic companion, Mokuba ran the search file as he redressed.

=Hello, Mokie.= Noa said unexpectedly. =I found your virus in one of my quarantined files. Very nice programming. Cute boy, too. I let it run on a couple CPUs it had been blocked from, and it found a terabyte or so of data. You'll have to tell me the story behind this one. Anyway, the file transfer in your virus overloaded, so I fixed it to deliver this message. I'm going to download the data to a drive. Let me know when you want it. Seto.=

"Oh, hell!" Mokuba sank on the bed and tried not to cry. "Jounouchi, please! Just let him forget!"


	46. Piece 26

Chapter 46, Piece 26 * * * * * * * *

Jou stepped off the bus and looked at the office building before him. It was on the unfashionable end of 12th Street. Past Denver's modern skyscrapers, but before you reached the endless stretch of forgotten warehouses. A squat, grey box with cheap rent on the bus line. It was also only a few blocks from the art school. Which made the location ideal as far as Jou was concerned.

It had taken Jou more than a year to get there - if you counted from when Yugi first called about the manga. The trip had taken twenty-six hours, including connections and delays. But the real problem had been his citizenship - or rather his lack of.

Since his father was American and his mother was Japanese, Jou had been born a citizen of both countries. And as far as America was concerned, Joseph K. Wheeler - the name on his social security card - could be a dual citizen until he died. But Japan required that Jounouchi Katsuya - as he was listed on the Jounouchi _koseki_ \- choose one of the two citizenships when he turned 20 years-old. Jou choose Japanese, completed the required paperwork and thought nothing about it. When Yugi called, Jou made travel arrangements and grabbed his unexpired US passport.

And was stopped at the airport, under suspicion of ID Theft.

Thankfully, the _koseki_ was considered the official citizenship document, and showed his previous dual status. Someone had footnoted that his English name was 'Wheeler'. Jou was able to get part of the ticket cost refunded. It had taken three months to get a new Japanese passport and save up enough money to try the trip again.

That time, he'd made it to LAX when he was stopped at a security checkpoint; apparently 'Joseph Wheeler' was on the no fly list. He was stuck there for two days - they didn't incarcerate him, but he wasn't allowed to leave the premises. Finally, they allowed him to return to Japan. He received a formal notice a month later informing him that he was not the Joseph Wheeler in question, and he should feel free to fly any time he cared to. He attached the letter to his passport and kept an electronic copy on his phone. Just in case.

This trip, he'd contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the US State Department, and the Colorado Bureau of Tourism to be sure that he'd be allowed in.

A two-year work visa; he didn't know what kind of shadow magic Yugi had used to get it for him, but it had worked. He had gotten stopped at every security checkpoint, but this time they all let him pass.

There was no security in the lobby, and Jou was almost surprised when the rickety elevator actually made it to the 4th floor without stalling.

Suite 404, Yugi had told him, but Jou would have found it anyway. Honda's boisterous laughter carried down the hall.

"Dude, nothing is that funny." He grinned at his friends as he opened the door.

"Hey! It's the terrorist!" Honda exclaimed. "What'd you do, sneak in from Canada?"

"Nah, swam in from Mexico. Food's better."

"Whatever!" Honda laughed again and hugged him. "Yug's on his way, 'Togi's on the phone, and Ryou hasn't called in yet." He gestured to the man sitting on the couch. "This is our local hero. Eric, Jounouchi; Jou, Eric."

"The Kansas mystery?" Jou shook Eric's hand. "That thing is great. Can't wait for the sequel."

"I'm too busy reading your story about the New York gang! Where did you get that stuff?"

"Legacy of a misspent youth." Jou chuckled.

The phone rang and was answered in the other room. A moment later, Otogi came out and hit the speakerphone button. "Ryou?"

"I'm here." The voice came back.

"Hey dude!" Jou called out. "I found the place."

There were more greetings and introductions. At about the time the conversation began to run out of steam, Yugi opened the door.

"Oh!" He seemed a bit surprised, and a lot distracted. "You're all here already."

"You're late," Otogi pointed out. "We were supposed to start the staff meeting for issue #14 half an hour ago."

"Yeah." Yugi nodded. "I ran into someone, and...uh...I may have found us a new backer."

"Seriously? Yugi, that's AWESOME!" Honda cheered.

"May have?" Otogi seemed a bit more cautious. "Why may?"

"Well…" Yugi looked up and saw Jou. "Jou! You're here already."

"Nice to see you too, buddy." Jou gave his short friend an arched look. "Fess up, Yugi. You look like you're guilty of something."

"I'm not guilty, really. I didn't mean to ask. I mean, I didn't ask - he offered the money. And he promised no strings. One string. But...its…" His voice petered out and he grimaced. "Well…."

"Ok," Eric shrugged, "who's the backer, and what's the string.

"Kaiba," Otogi guessed. "Mokuba wants to give you the money."

"And the 'string' is his fucking brother," Jou growled. "No fucking way. If he's in, I'm out."

"It's not Mokuba," Yugi said, but he sounded miserable.

"Yugi, you can't lie worth a damn." Honda gestured. "It's written all over your face. You saw him today, right?" Yugi nodded. "And he offered you the money."

"It wasn't Mokuba. See…." Yugi sighed deeply. "I wasn't planning on seeing him. I was coming back from the printers, and I stopped at that bagel shop on Colorado Blvd. And they were there, and I really only planned to say hi while I waited for my sandwich, but one thing lead to another, and he offered, and he wouldn't let me say 'no'."

"I am NOT working with Moneybags." Jou crossed his arms. "Not happening."

"He doesn't want to work with us…" Yugi started.

"Wait…" Otogi looked at Yugi. "What do you mean, 'he' doesn't want to work with us?"

Ryou's voice cut under the group. "Yugi, it sounds from here like you mean Kaiba offered you the money."

"Kaiba?" Honda laughed. "Not even in your…." he stopped as he realized that Yugi was nodding. "Kaiba _Seto_ wants to back our manga?"

"No. Fucking. Way." Jou was flat.

"I'm lost." Eric threw up his hands. "Who is this Kaiba guy anyway?"


	47. Piece 13

Chapter 47, Piece 13 * * * * * * * *

Days later Kaiba discovered a sketch pad on his dresser, with a note that it had been found in the laundry.

It was one sketch pad, and almost filled at that. Surely even the cash strapped Jounouchi could afford a new sketch pad. If he had needed it that badly, he would already have asked for it. If he ever did ask for it, Sato could mail it.

Kaiba would have returned it in person, except that he had already withdrawn from school, submitting the paperwork online as he returned from the ill-fated class trip. It wasn't mandatory for him to attend and it was a distraction from corporate needs. He put the pad aside and left a note of his own beside it for someone to remove all of his school texts; store anything of value, discard everything else.

KaibaCorp was important. A class trip, a sketch pad, and a kiss in the dark were all irrelevant.


	48. Piece 50

Chapter 48, Piece 50 * * * * * * * *

Four orthopedic surgeons - including two hand specialists - looked at Jounouchi's injury. They scheduled surgery for 10am and would have sent him home with a pain killer had Kaiba not insisted on admitting him to a private room.

While Jounouchi got settled in, Kaiba got the surgeon's assistant, Tetsu-san, to send an email to his brother.

He returned to Jounouchi's room to find the artist dozing. He sat and watched him sleep.

Beautiful. A strong jawline. Not at all feminine or soft, but not angular or harsh. Masculine. Sculpted by some divine artist. Those hypnotic brown eyes were closed, but nothing hid those full lips. They looked moist. Kissable.

Kaiba smiled to himself. From what he knew thus far, he wasn't the type to steal a kiss from a sleeping prince. Yet this very prince claimed that Kaiba had 'jumped' him; that implied more than a simple peck on the lips.

Perhaps, just this once. As a test of memory. Maybe it was a different blonde man with arresting brown eyes that kissed him in the past.

This is monumentally stupid, Kaiba told himself as he leaned over the sleeping Jounouchi. Their lips met for less than a second.

Kaiba found his heart pounding, the sound of his blood rushing, and his whole body heating up. But no flood of memories - and no sign of Jounouchi waking.

He did it again, pressing harder and finding both of their lips parting. He felt a rare stirring in his loins.

And then a sense of dread that seemed to shove him physically across the room. The kiss itself was beyond joy incarnate; enough of those could move any man to climax. But the kiss also brought the knowledge that their first, last and only kiss had ended in disaster.

Something _had_ happened with Jounouchi. Something both wonderful and terrible. Something that made a kiss as frightening as it was erotic. Kaiba wracked his brain for clues; if he had enough pieces, maybe he could rebuild the memory….

"Ok. I know I'm high on pain meds, but what are you doing on the floor?"

Kaiba looked down first and realized that he was sitting in a heap on the floor. Jounouchi was awake and looking at him curiously.

"Did you finally remember?" Jounouchi asked, almost amused. "'Cause that's just how you looked that night."

Kaiba shook his head. "I don't...kissing is bad. I just know that."

"I wouldn't go that far." Jounouchi yawned. "I mighta enjoyed it, if you had asked first."

The change in tone caught Kaiba. "You're no longer angry."

"Hard to be mad when you got this much vicodin in you." Jounouchi looked at him thoughtfully. "Kinda a bummer. All I ever wanted to know is 'why' and you can't tell me."

"Why?"

"Yeah. Why'd you do that? I mean, I was totally hot for you. If you'da asked, I would have totally said yes. But… I mean, I woke up and you were…." he swallowed hard, uncomfortable with the memory. "I can't even touch another guy now without thinking of what you tried to do."

Shame crushed Kaiba. "And I can't even tell you why. Jounouchi-san, there is no atonement for that. What I've taken from you -" Kaiba had met sexual abuse victims, heard many of their stories. "Oh Gods! I am the villain!" Kaiba felt his grip on rationality slip. "I don't want to be the villain," he moaned.

"Kaiba?" Jounouchi tried to sit up and leaned on his broken hand. The soft cast kept it from moving, but the pressure send sharp pain shooting up his arm despite the IV. "Ow! Fuck! Dude, get a grip!"

The normally impassive man didn't respond, instead drawing into a fetal position.

"Oh, come on!" Jounouchi groaned. "I gotta deal with this shit?" He huffed. "The one time I forget my damn phone." And since he'd seen signs for the 'Kaiba Memorial Pediatric Center' on the way to xray his hand, he was hesitant about letting the hospital staff see a major donor having a nervous breakdown.

But he couldn't just leave the man crying and moaning on the floor. He might be a raping, thieving asshole, but he was…. Jounouchi wasn't sure what he was, but even Kaiba didn't deserve to suffer like that. Especially since he really didn't seem to know what happened and he really did seem remorseful anyway.

Or maybe the drugs they were giving him were just that good.

"Fuck me." Jounouchi rolled his eyes and struggled to get out of the bed without using his hand. He rolled the IV with him and sat on the floor next to Kaiba. "Kaiba. Kai- geez! Seto. Come on, you are not a villain."

"I'm not the hero," came a muffled response. "I hurt people."

Jounouchi bit back his first response. "What are you, twelve? Everyone hurts somebody. Everybody gets hurt. That's how life works."

"I don't wanna hurt people!" Kaiba cried. "Papa never hurt anyone."

'Papa?' Jounouchi looked at the heap. Maybe he needed to call the hospital staff. Yugi had said Kaiba's head was injured, and he did seem strange when they all met earlier. But most of the evening, he'd acted like he always did, more or less. Mostly. 'Mutou-kun' was kinda weird. And that whole 'let's fill in the blanks together' thing. How messed up was he? "Just calm down, ok?" He hesitated, then stroked Kaiba's hair. "If you don't want to hurt people, then you won't. Ok?"

"I hurt you." Kaiba pointed out, but he sat up and wiped his face.

"That was a long time ago. And I probably could have handled it better. I mean, ten years and I never even tried to talk to you about it."

Kaiba took a deep breath. "Don't blame the victim. I don't think I was the kind of man who would have talked about it." He seemed to be pulling himself together. "You should be in bed, Jounouchi-san."

"Quit calling me that; it's just plain weird."

"What would you prefer?"

Jou used to dream of Kaiba calling him 'Katsuya', but that sounded like a bad idea. No matter how much a part of him wanted to hear it. "Jou. Just Jou is fine."

"Very well, Jou-san." Kaiba stood up and reached down to help Jounouchi stand. For a moment, they were almost embracing.

"Dude, is that a boner against my leg?"

Kaiba turned beet red. "I'm afraid there is little I can do about it. Let's get you in bed."

"See? That's what you shoulda said back then." Kaiba helped Jounouchi back into bed. "Whoa. I musta done something; I just went all dizzy."

"I'm sorry!" Kaiba sounded anxious again.

"Man, you are seriously whacked out!" Jounouchi snickered. "The old you -" the rest was lost behind a yawn.

"You should sleep. I emailed my brother and Mutou-kun, so they know where you are. Do you want anything? Anything at all?"

"Yeah." Jounouchi's eyes fluttered. "Tell me something - if I hadn't stopped you, would you have tried to, ya'know, hold me?"

"I can't say for certain, but I sincerely doubt it." Kaiba blushed again. "I find the idea of you holding me much more enticing."


	49. Piece 42

Chapter 49, Piece 42 * * * * * * * *

"You seem to hang pretty tight with Moneybags." Jou didn't quite sneer. "You two an item now?"

"Why would we be an item?" Anzu looked confused. "I'm his personal assistant. I'm practically his babysitter."

"You gave up dancing for that?"

"I didn't give up dancing." She looked away. "I couldn't hack it."

"What does that mean?"

"It means just what it sounds like." She looked directly at him. "I couldn't take the stress. The rehearsals, the workouts, the nonstop diets. The travel was crazy, the people were your best friends during a show and would stab you in the back at an audition. I woke up one morning and realized that I was out of amphetamines and I just started crying. When I finally stopped, I called the director and quit. Then I called my mother and she found some money to bring me home."

"Anzu -" Jou shook his head and simply hugged her.

They stood that way for a few minutes.

Finally Anzu sniffed. "I forgot how good that feels. You better let go before my mascara starts running."

"Yeah, mine too." Jou quipped, letting her go. "So how did you wind up here?"

"Good timing and bad luck." She bit her lip. "Jou. This thing with you and Kaiba. Is it really irreconcilable? He really wants to talk to you - and really, he's not like he was. He knows he was a jerk. He wants to mend a lot of fences."

"By throwing around a lot of money."

"Money is the easy part for him. I think - I honestly think - what he really wants is to make friends."

Jou thought for a moment. "You know, I might get to where I don't want to punch his lights out every time I see him. But hell will freeze over before I become his friend."

"What happened? What did he do that was so terrible?"

"He knows."

"No, he really doesn't. And he really wants to."

"He knows what he did because he admitted he knew it. And if he 'forgot' like Yug' says, then he's cruel, on top of being an ass."

"Then tell him that. Give him five minutes - just five minutes, that's all he wants."

"Y'know, for a guy who claims he doesn't remember me, he's trying real hard to get to me."

"He just wants five minutes to tell you how he feels."

"Yeah? Well, he should have done that back when it mattered."

"That was the old Seto. The new one...," she shrugged. "He really is a different man."

Jou considered it. "Do you seriously think I want to hear any of what he wants to say?"

"That, I can't even guess. But, if there is something you want to hear him say, you won't hear it if you don't give him a chance." She took Jou's hand. "Just five minutes. After the presentation. That's all he's asking for."


	50. Piece 14

Kitty-Guardian Hootryd: Thanks! I always wonder what Kaiba would have been like if he had been raised more normally. I tried to show some of that here.

Also readers, shout out for Kitty-Guardian. If you aren't reading Endearment and Enmity, you should be!

* * *

Chapter 50, Piece 14 * * * * * * * *

"Jou?" Yugi peeked into the guest room to find it his friend sitting on the bare floor. "What's wrong? We're ready to go."

"My sketch pad's gone."

"On the bus, maybe?"

Jou shook his head. "I had it last night. The composite is almost finished."

"Did you look..." Yugi's voice faded as he realized that in the traditional-style room there was no furniture to look under. "Maybe the maid?"

"Checked. They took the trash to the dump this morning. Paper goes in an incinerator. If she took it Yug, it's gone."

"Jou -"

"Almost two years. I been workin' on that thing since I saw the tablet in Egypt. Wanna hear the killer?" Jou didn't wait for his friend's response. "I finally got an appointment with Industrial Illusions. One of their guys was at the career fair. I finally got an interview with the art department. Next week."

"But you have other-"

"Nothing that good! This dragon project, it was my best, Yug, the best thing I'll ever do."

"So you can re-do it."

"No, I can't." Jou shook his head. "And even if I could, I won't have it ready for next week. That was my shot. That sketch was my shot and I lost it."

"Maybe Kaiba-sempai saw it." Yugi said. "He had to leave, but -"

"Damn straight he had to leave!" Jou huffed. "Asshole."

"What did he say this time?" Yugi frowned. "I thought he'd stopped with all the 'dog' comments."

"Not what he said, what he did."

"What did he do?"

A warm shiver passed through Jou's body as he remembered the moment he woke, the erotic feeling of a warm body pressed against his own - before he realized it wasn't just a particularly good wet dream. What did Kaiba do?

"Nothing I wanna discuss." Jou changed the subject. "So, you and Ryou?"

Yugi turned bright pink.


	51. Piece 51

Kitty-G: How was Kaiba supposed to know his staff would pack the notebook with his school work? And would you want to see your crush after all that? Follow up: Yeah, Yugi was Mokuba's rock and shelter while Seto was sick, but it's completely platonic.

Dear Guest: Thank you for your lovely words. Confused and confusing? Yes, I guess he is. No longer controlled and closed, more open and spontaneous. Hm. Maybe next, I'll post a story about Jou being the confused, confusing partner. Thanks for the idea.

* * *

Chapter 51, Piece 51 * * * * * * * *

"Jounouchi-san? Jounouchi-san?" Jounouchi opened his eyes to a woman in a white dress. "It's time to take your medicine." She offered him two pills and a cup of water.

It took him a moment to focus all the way, but he sat up and took the offer. "Right. Thanks."

The surgery had apparently gone well. Once they released him from recovery, he would be free to go home.

"Do you feel up to seeing visitors?" The nurse asked.

"Uh, yeah. Sure." Jounouchi ran his uninjured hand through his hair. "Who?"

"Your brother and your boss."

"My what? Oh." He chuckled. "Yeah, I can see them."

She left and moments later Yugi and Honda appeared.

"Are you Jounouchi or am I Honda?" Jou snickered.

"I had to say something. They weren't gonna let me in."

"It's cool. Bro."

"So how are you?" Yugi asked. "I guess we didn't realize with everything going on that you'd hurt yourself."

"I didn't even feel it, tell you the truth. Kaiba noticed it was swelling and suggested we get it looked at. Where is he anyway?"

"Mokie-kun took him home. He was a bit frazzled."

"He was a lot frazzled, if you ask me." Honda remarked. "I thought he was gonna cry for a minute there."

Jounouchi found himself nodding. "He gets like that. Too much stress."

"Mokie was afraid he'd have an episode last night. Was it bad?"

"Eh. Just...weird." Jou found himself smiling as the picture of the vulnerable, quivering man popped into his mind. "Kinda cute, actually. He's not so bad when he's all needy and clingy."

"Needy?" Yugi and Honda exchanged a look. "Clingy?"

* * *

Ok, Readers, thanks for sticking with me. If you comment, check back in 24 hours. I will reload the next chapter with a response (unless it's this one, in which case I will reload this.) I will be at Katsucon in cold National Harbor for Valentine's Day, so expect a new story to start some time in late February. See you all then! SJ


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